The Vienna Chamber of Labour (AK Wien) presented a 2025 Forba study on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, revealing that skilled refugees from Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, and Iran rarely find employment matching their qualifications, according to co-author Johanna Neuhauser.
The study identifies residence status uncertainty, racism, and lengthy recognition processes as major barriers. Martin Schmidhuber of AK Wien noted that the AMS prioritizes general placement over qualification, while non-goal-oriented language requirements hinder progress.
AK Wien is demanding a 'change of track' for the Red-White-Red Card, better AMS funding, and integrated language training. These reforms aim to support qualified refugees, particularly women wearing headscarves who face significant integration obstacles.