Background information

Quota regulations for seasonal workers in tourism and agriculture are annually adapted in Austria. Within the last years, the quota have steadily increased due to the large shortage of workers in these sectors. Specific quotas are foreseen for all nine regional states: Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Vienna.

Content of measure

In the calendar year 2025, a seasonal quota of 4,985 for the temporary employment of foreign workers in the tourism sector is set and distributed among the regipnal states as follows: Burgenland: 50 Carinthia: 475 Lower Austria: 98 Upper Austria: 328 Salzburg: 1 420 Styria: 404 Tyrol: 1,422 Vorarlberg: 721 Vienna: 67

For the agricultural and forestry sector, a quota of 3,377 for the temporary employment of foreign workers is set and distributed among the provinces as follows: Burgenland:55 Carinthia: 260 Lower Austria: 590 Upper Austria: 1,174 Salzburg: 52 Styria: 563 Tyrol: 400 Vorarlberg: 77 Vienna: 206

For these two areas, employment permits with a period of validity of up to six months may be issued; employment permits with a period of validity of up to nine months may be issued for foreigners who have already been employed in the agricultural and forestry sector within the framework of a quota for the temporary employment of foreign workers in the previous three years.

For the agricultural sector, an additional quota of 119 for the short-term employment of foreign harvest workers was set. For them, employment permits with a period of validity of up to six weeks may be issued.

All quotas are to be complied with on an annual average. At seasonal peaks, time-limited exceedances of up to 50 percent are permissible for the tourism quotas and up to 30 percent for the quotas in the agricultural sector.

Use of measure

The quotas are generally exhausted.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Public employment service	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

No involvement.

Views and reactions

While organised employer organisations in the sectors are in favour of the seasonal quotas, the labour movement is less so due to the fear of social and wage dumping

Sectors and occupations

Sources

• 17 December 2024: Saisonkontingentverordnung 2025 (ris.bka.gv.at)