Austrian hotels are reducing their investments, according to a bank focusing on financing tourism projects. The Austrian Hotels and Tourism Bank (ÖHT) said yesterday (Tues) it provided hotels across the country with loans worth 880 million Euros in 2011. The tourism industry businesses financed 1,800 renovation, restoration and expansion projects with the funds, according to […]
Michael Ludwig has vowed to improve the quality of services to people living in social housing flats in Vienna. The Viennese Social Democratic (SPÖ) housing councillor told the Kurier newspaper today (Thurs) his department recently raised the number of advice and information checkpoints situated at community housing complexes to 100 in the past months. He […]
The latest labour statistic has dished up good and bad news for Austria’s lawmakers and employees. Around 360,500 people had no job last month, according to Statistik Austria. The agency said yesterday (Mon) this was a decline of 0.8 per cent compared to December 2010. It pointed out that the number of people sitting re-education […]
By Rebecca Musgrave The Men’s Counselling Service in Graz and Leoben has encouraged men on Men’s World Day not to deal with their problems alone. It is, they claim, socially acceptable to seek help as a man with the number of consultations increasing tenfold in the Graz centre in the last 15 years. Some 600 […]
Alarm bells are ringing for politicians and businesspeople as the number of people with no job is on the rise again. Social Democratic (SPÖ) Labour Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer announced today (Tues) that around 300,400 people were out of work last month. The minister explained that the number of unemployed residents of Austria rose by 0.8 […]
District chiefs have turned their guns on the Viennese government over its plans to turn all residential areas into 30-kilometre-per-hour (kph) limit zones. The coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Green Party of Vice Mayor Maria Vassilakou agreed after partnering up last year to increase the number of 30 kph limit streets in the […]
Employee representatives are outraged as a cable TV and internet connection provider registered 90 workers with the Labour Market Service (AMS). Vienna-based UPC confirmed yesterday (Weds) that the staff could be dismissed. The firm argued it was in the middle of a “phase of restructuring”. UPC currently employs 1,000 staff, down from 1,100 last year. […]
Chinese tourists have spent 41 per cent more in Austrian shops so far this year than in 2010, according to research. Travel and shopping information firm Global Blue Austria said yesterday (Weds) holidaymakers from China invested 28 million Euros in stores of the alpine country. Especially expensive watches and jewellery were in great demand, according […]
Almost 2,800 surveillance cameras have been set up at council houses in Vienna in the past three years, city officials announced yesterday (Weds). Social Democratic (SPÖ) Housing Councillor Michael Ludwig said 2,769 camera systems were installed at the so-called Gemeindebau housing estates which have been subsidised and managed by the city since autumn 2008. The […]
Austria’s leading supermarket chains have reduced the number of their shops in the past years, a survey has found. Market analysis company RegioData said today (Thurs) the country’s strongest supermarket companies currently run 5,000 shops, down from 5,700 in 2004. The agency explained market leader Billa, Spar Austria and other firms were trying to optimise […]