Employees are the most important asset for any company. Finding the right talent ensures your company will grow and experience minimal turnover. However, hiring can be more difficult in another country. When expanding to Austria, you’ll have to learn how to hire employees, figure out the best recruitment channels, and navigate the country’s employment compliance laws.
Fortunately, G-P offers Employer of Record (EOR) solutions for companies looking to hire without establishing a subsidiary. We can hire employees on your behalf and onboard them in just a few days. As a result, new hires will be productive sooner, enjoy a positive onboarding experience, and you’ll stay compliant.
Recruiting in Austria
You can’t build your team in Austria until you know where to find the right people. Demand for new talent is high, so many companies will hold their own job fairs to attract locals and international professionals. We recommend advertising positions in all available media types, including newspaper and internet classifieds. Some of the most popular online job sites include:
- Jobpilot
- Der Standard
- dermarkt.at
- Public Employment Service Austria (AMS)
Personal relationships are considered essential in Austria. As soon as you hire a few employees, you can establish a network. Existing employees can then recommend other candidates, especially if you create a well-rounded referral program.
Laws against discrimination in Austria
An important part of hiring and recruiting in Austria is making sure you follow the correct laws to stay compliant. Companies should not discriminate against potential candidates based on gender, class, age, ethnicity, religion or views, or sexual orientation.
In the country’s higher education field, specific regulations, laws, and requirements prohibit gender-based discrimination, including:
- Laws against direct and indirect gender discrimination in public employment
- Laws against sexual harassment and gender-based harassment
- Career advancement for women
- Affirmative action plans for women
The Equal Treatment Act and the ratification of the Directive of 2000 add more protections for workers in all industries. Civil servants who work for the federal government are covered under the Federal Equal Treatment Act, while agricultural workers have the Anti-Discrimination Acts laws. Currently, both direct and indirect discrimination are prohibited related to recruitment, wages and salaries, voluntary social benefits, vocational training, conditions of employment, and employment termination.
How to hire employees in Austria
Austria compliance laws allow companies to conclude employment contracts in writing, verbally, or implicitly. If a contract is not in writing, employers must provide the employee with a Dienstzettel, a statement of terms and conditions including workplace, duties, and wages, upon hire.
We recommend putting strong, written contracts in place when you’re hiring workers. Ideally, these contracts will spell out benefits, compensation, termination requirements, and more. All salary and compensation amounts should be in Euro instead of another currency, and you should make sure the contract is in the local language.
Austria employment laws
Austria’s employment compliance laws are different from those in other countries. Companies with 5 or more employees have to set up a work council, the size of which depends on the total number of employees. Employers need to give the work council at least 1 week of notice before notifying an employee of their dismissal. The work council can also request that the employer consult the council before dismissing the employee.
All employees in Austria have free access to government and labor support if they believe they’ve been treated unfairly throughout their employment. Many employees choose to file complaints with the labor tribunal. Since these protections strongly favor employees, we recommend working with a consultant or global EOR to help you hire new team members.
Onboarding in Austria
Every company operates differently, which is why you’re free to onboard employees using a process that’s best for your business. However, you can take certain steps to make employees more comfortable and confident in their new positions, including:
- Onboard multiple employees together to save time and encourage bonding.
- Provide on-the-job training.
- Review the employment contract and any other important company documents.
Grow globally with G-P.
G-P never forgets that behind every hire is a human being. That’s why we’ve backed our fully customizable suite of global employment products with our robust team of HR and legal experts, so we can remain at your side, ready to support you as you build your global teams. With the #1 global employment platform, you have the recruitment tools and services you need to find your perfect full-time or contract match.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you recruit, hire, and onboard anyone, anywhere.