Austria sees 0.9-pct decline in December unemployment

The unemployment rate in Austria has decreased 0.9 percent year-on-year in December, the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS) revealed on Monday.

The decline took the unemployment rate as calculated by the domestic Austrian criteria down to 10.3 percent or 471,169 persons without work by the end of the month.

It marks the second consecutive month a decline has been recorded. The November figures also marked the first drop in jobless numbers seen in five years.

The AMS said positive developments in the construction sector, that benefitted from little snow over the current winter, along with a notable improvement also observed in the goods production sector, were partly to thank for the outcome.

Increases in unemployment were, however, recorded amongst persons aged 50 and over, foreign nationals, and persons with a tertiary education.

The national capital Vienna and the state of Lower Austria were the only two states in the country that saw an unemployment increase in December, with increases of 0.9 percent and 1.8 percent respectively. Endit