World economy’s recovery continues, says think tank

The global economy will grow strongly in the coming years, a Viennese think tank has predicted.The Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) said today (Mon) it expected the world economy to grow by 4.5 per cent every year until 2015. Austria’s economy will grow by 2.2 per cent every year until 2015, according to WIFO.WIFO announced last month that the global economy – which decreased immensely in the economic crisis in 2008 and 2009 – will have grown by 4.4 per cent year on year in 2010. “Europe can be happy about the dynamic global economy,” WIFO said at that time, adding that the federal economies of the European Union’s (EU) 27 member states will have done only 1.7 per cent better year on year in 2010 whereas Germany’s economy will have improved by two to 2.5 per cent year on year during the same period.The institute said today that Austrian firms will export an average 6.2 per cent year on year in the coming four years. WIFO explained the country’s economy will do well since the value of imports is to rise by just 5.8 per cent every year until 2015.WIFO once more appealed on the government coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) to carry out structural reforms of the Austrian healthcare system and the country’s bureaucratic system. Such measures would help lower the state debt and the budget deficit, according to WIFO and other economists.WIFO also stressed that the recently implemented and possible upcoming tax increases will fuel the inflation.The think tank’s estimations come days after Social Democratic (SPÖ) Labour Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer revealed that an average 250,782 people were looking for a job last year, down by 3.7 per cent compared to 2009.”The recovery occurred sooner than expected,” the minister said, adding that his ministry would continue the fight against unemployment among young Austrians. More than 40,000 people aged between 15 and 26 were out of work in Austria last year.