6 weeks before the election

Vienna’s SPÖ is now focusing fully on the issue of work

Mayor Michael Ludwig with SPÖ Vienna Club Chairman Joe Taucher and the SPÖ city councillors of the Vienna city government.

(Bild: HELMUT FOHRINGER)

"Good for Vienna" is the motto of this year's SPÖ Vienna Club Conference, which will take place on Tuesday in the city on the lake. Numerous new projects will be launched, including an 18plus job offensive for 1,000 young people and a new women's employment foundation. Healthcare professions are to become more attractive and safety on public transport is to be improved.

To the sound of the Queen anthem "We are the Champions" and a standing ovation, Mayor Michael Ludwig and SPÖ Vienna Club Chairman Josef Taucher entered the Ariana event hall in the city on Tuesday morning and were celebrated in advance by their own comrades. The intensive election campaign has now also begun for the Vienna SPÖ - six weeks before the early election on April 27, 2025. One topic is now fully in focus for the Reds: work and jobs. These are the key new projects:

• The Joboffensive 50plus model is now being applied to young people in cooperation with WAFF and AMS Vienna. There are financial incentives to encourage companies to take on young people who have been unemployed for some time. Specifically, there is subsidized employment for 4 months.

Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) with Joe Taucher, host and club chairman of the SPÖ Vienna.

(Bild: HELMUT FOHRINGER)

• 1000 young people who have been unemployed for more than 9 months can join the scheme. Unemployment has risen sharply in the past, especially among young people under the age of 25. There will be a separate job fair in fall 2025.

• The new Vienna Women's Employment Foundation is being created to give women without vocational training more opportunities. It is primarily aimed at Viennese women aged 25 and over who have not completed vocational training . The focus is on women looking for work who are returning to work.

• In addition to career guidance, the new foundation will also provide a monthly grant of 300 euros from the WAFF in addition to unemployment benefit. The participants can complete school and university courses, particularly in climate protection, sustainability, greening, technology, natural sciences, IT or health, social and educational subjects. The pilot project is initially planned for 100 women.

• Healthcare professions are to be made more attractive through more opportunities for advancement and better pay. A standardized working time model is to bring better compensation for public holiday work. In nursing, salaries in some occupational groups (in the old system) are to be made more attractive. The introduction of new specialist careers is planned for nursing and doctors, which should enable internal promotion.

• This year, 4 million euros will be invested to technically upgrade the underground streetcar stops. In addition, the number of security staff at Wiener Linien will be increased by almost 40 percent from 110 to a total of 150 by 2028.

Danube Canal 2.0 - The Danube Canal in the city is getting a facelift and is set to become even greener.

(Bild: Stadt Wien)

• One of Vienna's most popular recreational areas is also being renovated: the Danube Canal. The former concrete wasteland of the Kaiserbad lock was transformed into "floating gardens" back in 2020. Now work is starting on the section between Salztorbrücke and Marienbrücke. The section is around 300 meters long and covers an area of almost 4,600 square meters - almost 1,200 square meters of which will become green space. The conversion is due to be completed by summer 2025. Work will then continue on the left bank near the Aspern Bridge in 2026.

Ludwig's election goal? To maintain the SPÖ result from 2020
In his speech, Mayor Ludwig emphasized the importance of the upcoming election and made it clear that a "difficult election campaign" lies ahead. His election goal? To maintain the result of the last Vienna election in 2020. That was 41.62 percent. After the mayor's speech, the SPÖ city councillors presented their respective projects. The new City Councillor for Finance, the previous Finance Director Christoph Maschek, did not present any plans. He is only in charge of the department on an interim basis until a new city government is sworn in and will not be making any political statements.

Incidentally, SPÖ federal party leader and Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler and former City Councillor for Economic Affairs and new Transport Minister Peter Hanke were not present this time.