About 500 Filipino workers in a variety of industries, including healthcare, services, tourism, hospitality, construction and engineering, and information technology, are anticipated to relocate to Austria for employment in the coming years, according to Susanne Kraus-Winklers, the Austrian Secretary of Labor and Economy, EU Helpers reports.

She also mentioned that Austria has inked a memorandum of understanding for future recruiting and vocational training with the Philippines, making it the first nation to do so.

According to Karlheinz Kopf, secretary-general of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, up to 80% of Austrian businesses have reported a skilled labor shortage, with almost 200,000 open positions.

He added that although employment in the nation is up from pre-pandemic levels, the number of job openings could quadruple over the next 15 years due to a shortage of skilled individuals.

Conversely, Winkler noted that following the epidemic, people's perceptions of work changed, with a greater focus now being placed on work-life balance. Furthermore, the sector is growing, which means that hiring more individuals than ever before is essential.

Winkler also praised Austria's legal system, stating that employees will receive assistance in the event that problems arise while they are employed in the European nation.

The tourism business employs over 20% of Filipino workers in Austria, and it is anticipated that the majority of the 500 new arrivals will work in this field.

There are now about 5,824 Filipino workers in Austria, according to DMW statistics. Of them, 749 are in the health and social work service industry, and another 1,220 are in the hospitality and food service sector.

The agreement for the recruitment of Filipino workers in this European nation was signed by representatives of the Filipino Department of Migrant Workers and their Austrian counterparts. This would be the second bilateral agreement after the one for Filipino healthcare workers that was signed in July.