Austrian Chancellery Minister Claudia Bauer of the is demanding the swift implementation of a social assistance reform and an Integration Obligations Act. Bauer set an October deadline for these proposals to ensure they take effect by early next year.
Data from Statistik Austria shows a 74 percent employment rate for immigrants, compared to 79 percent for those without a migration background. However, rates for women from third countries sit at 59 percent, while only 29 percent from Syria or Iraq work.
With 2.55 million people now having a migration background, Bauer cited 13,000 discontinued integration courses as a key concern. The Social Ministry has moved the reform into coordination to address these gaps as the foreign-born population continues rising.