Austria registers over 1.8 mln unemployed or in short-time work

As of Monday, over 1.8 million people have registered as jobless or in short-time work in Austria, said the government in its first weekly job market update during the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday.

A total of 549,662 people are unemployed or in training courses, a slight decrease of almost 40,000 job seekers compared with the peak of unemployment in mid-April, said Minister of Labor Christine Aschbacher when presenting the latest figures at a press conference.

In addition, 1.3 million people have applied for short-time work, said Aschbacher. "We are in intensive talks to further develop and simplify short-time work."

The crisis had shown that Europe must increase its resilience and strengthen its self-sufficiency, according to Minister for Economic Affairs Margarete Schrambock.

"It is now important to prepare ourselves for any further crises, whatever they may be. To do this, we have to bring value chains back to Europe -- also for future technologies," said the minister, citing semiconductors, batteries and hydrogen as examples.

As an exporting country, the Alpine republic cannot be completely isolated, she said, calling for a "pan-European approach."

The minister emphasized that a new European competition law is urgently needed to address the new reality.

(XINHUA)