Austria has adapted and extended its short-time work scheme, a form of furlough that eases the burden on employers and workers amid the crisis unleashed by the pandemic.
The government and social partners announced plans to offer two models as of July, they said on Monday.
The short-time working scheme that is currently in place will largely still apply until the end of the year for business areas worst hit by the pandemic, with at least a 50 per cent drop in sales, such as hotels and aviation.
Those businesses can reduce staff working hours to zero.
Subsidies are to be cut by 15 per cent for other economic sectors under a transitional model in place until summer 2022.
This scheme includes requirements such as a one-week vacation reduction for every two months of short-time work.
Tourism Minister Elisabeth Koestinger said short-time work has protected some 150,000 jobs in the catering and tourism sectors alone and had allowed the fresh start in mid-May possible to go ahead.
Some 330,000 people are reportedly registered for short-time work in Austria at present.
Labour Minister Martin Kocher expects that number to fall to between 100,000 and 120,000 by the end of the summer. (dpa/NAN)
