Austria has a lot to offer international professionals

Austria's beautiful landscapes and rich cultural heritage are well-known far beyond the country's borders. Of course, this is part of the story, but Austria offers much more. 

Top-notch quality of life

Austria is one of the most liveable countries in the world, and was once again given top marks in the latest IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024. In particular, the categories “Quality of life” and “Medical assistance” stand out, with Austria ranked among the Top 3 countries in the world in each case.  The excellent healthcare and social security system benefitting employees plays an important role here.  Vienna, by far the country’s largest city with a population of around two million, was named the world's most liveable city for the eleventh year in a row in a recent study conducted by the international consulting firm Mercer.

Low cost of living 

The relatively low cost of living also contributes to the high quality of life in Austria. In particular, the favourable cost of food and public transport stands out. According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024, food costs in Austria are the second lowest in the EU. The KlimaTicket enables use of all public transport in Austria for an entire year for just € 1,095. The annual public transportation ticket in the capital of Vienna costs only € 365 or € 1 per day.   

Highly attractive for international students

Austria is also seen favourably by international students thanks to all these advantages. Only one EU member state has more international students per 1,000 inhabitants. This is certainly also due to the excellent and multifaceted Austrian university landscape as well as the outstanding overall educational system, which also attracts international talents and makes Austria a first-class place to live and work. All in all, a particularly large number of international students choose Austria, which is ranked sixth worldwide with respect to “Student mobility inbound” (IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024).  

Startups in future-oriented industries as exciting employers

Numerous young, fast-growing companies in future-oriented industries offer exciting jobs, especially for international talents. Approx. 3,400 start-ups have been founded in Austria since 2012. According to the EY Start-up Barometer, startups in Austria, which employ a workforce of about 30,000 people, attracted investments of € 695 million in 2023. Austria is strengthening its position as a leading innovation location in Europe by offering targeted support measures for startups focusing on future sectors such as deep tech, green tech and life sciences as well as social and ecological goals. 

A new legal form - the Flexible Capital Company (FlexCo) specifically geared to the needs of startups – was created in 2024 to make the Austrian business location even more attractive to these firms. The FlexCo also enables employee participation in the company’s success. Further information on the startup sector in Austria can be found here.

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