Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine provinces, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and province.Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in East Central Europe which borders the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.Guests find most beautiful mountain and lake landscapes, numerous cultural institutions, vibrant cities, exquisite delights and friendly people. Austria's attractive cities with rich history and the international well known “Austrian cuisine” have been shaped by the Habsburg Empire. Austria was the German-speaking heartland of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1806), the Austrian Empire (until 1867), and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (until 1918).
The statutory holiday entitlement in Austria is five weeks (25 working days) per year for an employee who has completed six months of employment. Employees with less than six months of service accrue two working days per month. Once an employee completes 25 years or longer for the same employer, the entitlement increases to six weeks (30 working days).
Up to 12 years of prior employment in other jobs and periods of education can also be credited to an employee, whereby the required number of years of service with the same employer is reduced to 13 years.
There can also be deviations from this rule in different collective agreements. Employees accrue leave based on the service commencement date. Unused leave can be carried over to the following year.
2023 offers ten-weekday public holidays, while two of the three ‘de facto’ public holidays (which employers are not obliged to give as days off, but many do) also fall on weekends, so most employees will get 11 days off work in addition to their annual leave.
The entitlement of 30 to 36 days of paid annual leave applies only to employees who work from Monday to Saturday, which is a typical working week in Austria. Employees who work from Monday to Friday are entitled to up to 25 working days of paid annual leave.
Sick leave entitlement varies based on the length of employment:
One year of employment: Six weeks at full pay and four weeks at half pay covered by the employer
Two-15 years of employment: Eight weeks at full pay and four weeks at half pay covered by the employer
16-25 years of employment: 10 weeks and four weeks at half pay covered by the employer
26+ years of employment: 12 weeks and four weeks at half pay covered by the employer
Any sick leave beyond the above entitlement is covered by social security.
A medical certificate must be provided.
Two systems of statutory severance pay exist in Austria. One applies to employment contracts commenced before January 1, 2003 (old severance pay). The other system is applicable for employees with a starting date after January 1, 2003 (new severance pay).
The difference between the two systems is that within the old regime of statutory severance pay, the employee has a direct claim against the employer unless an employee terminates the employment relationship or is dismissed for cause.
Within the new severance pay, every month during employment, the employer is obliged to pay 1.53% of the gross salary to an external company pension fund (Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse). The employee then has a severance right against that fund, but there is no additional severance payable by the employer.
It is customary to pay 13th and 14th salaries in Austria. The annual salary is paid in 14 equal payments. The 13th and 14th payments are paid out in June and November.
Austria
