Employment and Professional Integration in Austria for Persons with Temporary Protection Status

Persons who hold temporary protection status in Austria displaced person identity card from Ukraine Ausweis für Vertriebene have free access to the labor market. This means they may work as employees or engage in self-employed activities without a separate work permit.

Basic Welfare Support Grundversorgung and Employment Income

If a person receives basic welfare support Grundversorgung and starts working they are obliged to immediately inform the relevant regional authority accommodation center or assigned advisor.

Basic welfare support is a subsidiary social benefit therefore any income is taken into account when determining entitlement to further payments.

Non-Taxable Allowance

The following allowances are considered in the calculation:

• 110 euros per person
• 80 euros for each additional family member
   

Special 65/35 Rule for Persons from Ukraine

For displaced persons from Ukraine an additional income calculation mechanism applies known as the 65/35 rule:

• 65 percent of net income is taken into account when calculating basic welfare support
• 35 percent of income remains with the person without affecting benefits
• the general non-taxable allowance may also apply
   

Thus part of the earned income remains at the disposal of the person without reducing social assistance. The final decision regarding the calculation is made by the competent regional basic welfare authority.

In some federal provinces an unofficial online calculator is available for an approximate calculation of permissible additional income. The final decision is always made by the competent authority.

Registration with the Public Employment Service AMS

It is recommended to register with the Austrian Public Employment Service AMS as a job seeker.

In the federal provinces of Upper Austria and Vienna registration with AMS is a mandatory requirement for receiving basic welfare support.

Registration is only possible after obtaining the displaced person identity card.

During registration the following information is recorded:

• level of education
• professional experience
• qualifications and competencies
• language skills
• other personal data necessary for employment

AMS provides:

• individual consultations
• referrals to vacancies
• retraining and upskilling programs
• language courses
• active labor market integration measures
   

Financial Support During Training DLU

If participating in courses or employment-related measures AMS may provide financial support to cover living expenses DLU.

Receipts of DLU must be reported to the basic welfare authority as this support is fully taken into account 100 percent when calculating social benefits.

Employment Through Temporary Work Agencies and the Voucher System

Persons with temporary protection status may work through temporary employment agencies Leiharbeit including:

• Trenkwalder
• Büroring 

Possession of the displaced person identity card is mandatory.

Formal employment is also possible through the household service voucher system Dienstleistungsscheck which is used for the legal employment of domestic assistance.

Recognition of Diplomas and Qualifications

Education and professional qualifications obtained in Ukraine may be officially recognized in Austria through a nostrification or professional recognition procedure.

Consultations are provided by specialized centers:

• Contact points for persons with qualifications acquired abroad Anlaufstellen für Personen mit im Ausland erworbenen Qualifikationen AST 

The recognition procedure may include:

• verification of educational documents
• comparison of the study program
• additional examinations if required
• partial or full recognition of the qualification 

Recognition of a diploma significantly expands opportunities for employment in the respective profession.

Vocational Training and Integration

Persons with temporary protection status may participate in:

• vocational training programs
• retraining
• language courses
• integration measures
• employment support programs 

Participation in such programs promotes faster integration into the Austrian labor market and increases the chances of long-term employment.

Important

Legislation and the amount of social benefits may change. It is recommended to regularly check up-to-date information on official websites of the competent authorities or consult the relevant institutions.

Information in Ukrainian is available on the AMS 

website including official resources regarding employment registration courses and employment support. Ukrainian information on AMS Austrian Public Employment Service.