Government is pitching in: strengthening tourism despite a shortage of skilled workers!

Government is pitching in: strengthening tourism despite a shortage of skilled workers!

Tourism in Austria plays a central role in the country's economic development. The sector is currently particularly in demand as the number of overnight stays is reaching records. Nevertheless, the industry is struggling with an urgent problem: the lack of suitable workers. This has prompted the federal government to take measures to boost employment in tourism.

A key component of these initiatives is the Tourism Employees Fund, which is located within the Ministry of Labor. The aim of this fund is to promote training and further education in order to increase the attractiveness of tourism as an employer and to facilitate year-round employment. In addition, seasonal dependencies should be reduced, which is particularly important in order to meet the needs of workers and job seekers in the tourism sector.

Financial support and infrastructure

The federal government also announced the introduction of a truck toll package. This package is intended to ensure greater cost accuracy and planning security in the transport industry. In the future, the external costs for air pollution, noise and CO2 emissions will be taken into account more, which will result in an additional burden of around 42 million euros annually.

With these measures, the government is also pursuing the goal of promoting the transfer of goods from road to rail while at the same time securing the long-term financing of the road infrastructure. The switch to the digital vignette is planned for 2027 in order to make everyday life for drivers easier and more modern without restricting analogue access options.

Payment options in transport

In the context of infrastructure and transport, ASFINAG offers numerous payment options for drivers. This includes card payments, which include a variety of accepted cards such as American Express, Debit Mastercard and Visa. The 3-D Secure process provides additional security, in which the cardholder is authenticated by entering a TAN or another security feature.

In addition, payments can be processed through transfers using Eps, Xolvis as well as PayPal and Amazon Pay. These options make it easier for users to pay their fees efficiently and securely, thereby helping to simplify payment processes in the transport infrastructure.

Overall, it can be seen that the federal government's measures are aimed at both promoting employment in tourism and creating the necessary infrastructure for sustainable mobility.

For more information click on the links: SPÖ and ASFINAG.