"Highest increase"

Minimum wage rose faster than inflation in the previous year

Since the turn of the millennium, minimum wages in Austria have risen more significantly than inflation in the previous year, with few exceptions.

(Bild: ©Wolfilser - stock.adobe.com)

In 2024, average gross minimum wages under collective agreements rose by 8.5% compared to the previous year according to the Collective Wage Index 16 (TLI 16) and were therefore higher than the inflation rate (CPI) of 7.8% in 2023. 

"This is the highest increase in the past 25 years. The strongest increase of 9.4 percent was among public employees," said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas on Wednesday.

• The increase for white-collar workers was 8.4 percent and 8.3 percent for blue-collar workers.
• At sector level, minimum wages in the past two years with high inflation rose the most on average in mining and quarrying (18.1 percent), public administration, defense; social security and real estate and housing (17.8 percent each). 
• The lowest growth rate was in the manufacture of goods (15.5 percent) and in arts, entertainment and recreation (15.6 percent).

"Since the turn of the millennium, minimum wages in Austria have risen more significantly than the previous year's inflation year after year, with few exceptions. This means that there has usually been a real wage gain," explained Thomas. The highest real wage growth was in 2000, when the TLI grew 1.5 percentage points faster than the CPI in the previous year.