Economic conference: Austria needs an offensive investment strategy!

Economic conference: Austria needs an offensive investment strategy!

Around 450 works councils met today, May 22, 2025, at an important conference organized by the GPA and PRO-GE unions under the motto "Work in progress - Investment. Digitalization. Location." stood. The participants called for an aggressive industrial strategy and comprehensive investments in infrastructure, education and digitalization in Austria. Helmut Berrer from the economic research institute Economica noted that Austria's capital stock is solid but outdated and emphasized that the investment climate has deteriorated.

Berrer underscored the need for investment in modern infrastructure and machinery to strengthen domestic employment and prosperity in the long term. Christoph Badelt, president of the Productivity Council, added that the stagnating labor productivity is due to growth based only on a growing workforce, not on efficiency gains. This problem is further exacerbated by demographic change, which is leading to a shrinking workforce and inhibiting per capita GDP growth.

Demands and challenges

A central point of the discussion was Austria's energy-intensive production structure and high energy dependence. Conference participants discussed the need to invest in renewable energy and modern infrastructure. ÖGB Federal Managing Director Helene Schuberth called for a growth-oriented location policy based on investments and qualifications. The need for educational initiatives to better integrate women, older people and those with low qualifications into the labor market was also highlighted.

The challenges of digitalization were also the focus of the panel discussion. Topics such as excessive tracking, lack of transparency in AI systems and lack of further training were discussed in detail. Roland Sommer, Managing Director of the Industry 4.0 platform, pointed out that people must be at the center of Industry 5.0. This statement found support from AMS board member Petra Draxl, who underlined the importance of education for the labor market, especially for people with a maximum of compulsory schooling, who are three times more likely to be unemployed.

Important personnel decisions

Barbara Teiber, chairwoman of the GPA, called for a clear strategy that focuses on employees, while Reinhold Binder, chairwoman of PRO-GE, emphasized the need for social security and co-determination. Another positive point of the event was the successful re-election of the GPA group coordinators, with Philipp Kuhmann, Cornelia Kilian and Gerald Silbernagel being confirmed with over 90% of the votes.

In addition to the Austrian issues, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) formulates clear demands that are also relevant for Austria. The DGB is calling for a comprehensive reform of long-term care insurance and warns of bleak prospects in this area. DGB chairwoman Anja Piel emphasizes the need to create optimal conditions for employees in different regions in order to socially cushion structural change. In addition, a poverty-proof minimum wage of 15 euros is required as well as the modernization of Germany's infrastructure through targeted investment offensives. The DGB also announced that 332,000 people took part in the May events and the motto “Make yourself strong with us!” was.

Overall, the GPA and PRO-GE conference reflects the broad spectrum of challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed in both Austria and Germany to ensure a sustainable and inclusive future for all employees. The discussions show that a clear strategy is needed to actively involve employees and secure long-term economic stability.

For more information, visit the websites GPA and des DGB.