Late on December 23, Austria’s Federal Gazette published the Fachkräfteverordnung 2026, the annual decree that defines which occupations qualify as ‘shortage professions’ for fast-track work-permit processing under the Red-White-Red (RWR) Card scheme.
The regulation – BGBl II 316/2025 – expands the federal list to 64 occupations, up from 58 in 2025. New additions include locomotive drivers, payroll specialists and inclusive early-childhood educators, reflecting acute skills gaps in rail transport, HR/payroll digitisation and social services. Core engineering, construction-trades and nursing roles remain on the list, while high-tech profiles such as data-processing engineers and Starkstrom (high-voltage) specialists continue to enjoy priority.
For employers, the list is the key to accessing third-country talent. Applicants who hold formal qualifications and a job offer in a listed profession may obtain an RWR Card with a simplified Labour-Market Test and lower minimum-salary thresholds (typically 55 % of Austria’s latest ASVG average income). Companies recruiting outside the EU therefore have a limited window – January through March is traditionally the busiest filing period – to align hiring plans with the new catalogue.
![Austria Issues 2026 Shortage-Occupation List, Opening 64 New Pathways for Non-EU Talent]()
For HR departments that would rather not juggle shifting salary bands, province-level quotas and embassy appointments on their own, VisaHQ can take the weight off. Its Austria practice (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) centralises the entire RWR-Card workflow—checking qualification equivalency, compiling German translations, booking Labour-Market Test slots and tracking authority decisions—so both employers and candidates see real-time updates without drowning in paperwork.
In addition to the nationwide list, the decree designates province-specific shortage roles. Burgenland, for example, adds real-estate agents; Carinthia lists floor-layers and glaziers. That regional fine-tuning gives SMEs outside Vienna greater leverage to recruit abroad, but they must document that the job will be based in the respective Land.
Practical take-aways: HR teams should update job descriptions, salary budgets and advertisement wording immediately. Candidates already in Austria on job-seeker visas can convert to an RWR Card more easily if their profession now qualifies. Immigration advisers also note that the expanded list could reduce processing times, as authorities use automated cross-checks for pre-defined roles – a welcome relief after the well-publicised backlogs of 2024.
The regulation – BGBl II 316/2025 – expands the federal list to 64 occupations, up from 58 in 2025. New additions include locomotive drivers, payroll specialists and inclusive early-childhood educators, reflecting acute skills gaps in rail transport, HR/payroll digitisation and social services. Core engineering, construction-trades and nursing roles remain on the list, while high-tech profiles such as data-processing engineers and Starkstrom (high-voltage) specialists continue to enjoy priority.
For employers, the list is the key to accessing third-country talent. Applicants who hold formal qualifications and a job offer in a listed profession may obtain an RWR Card with a simplified Labour-Market Test and lower minimum-salary thresholds (typically 55 % of Austria’s latest ASVG average income). Companies recruiting outside the EU therefore have a limited window – January through March is traditionally the busiest filing period – to align hiring plans with the new catalogue.
For HR departments that would rather not juggle shifting salary bands, province-level quotas and embassy appointments on their own, VisaHQ can take the weight off. Its Austria practice (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) centralises the entire RWR-Card workflow—checking qualification equivalency, compiling German translations, booking Labour-Market Test slots and tracking authority decisions—so both employers and candidates see real-time updates without drowning in paperwork.
In addition to the nationwide list, the decree designates province-specific shortage roles. Burgenland, for example, adds real-estate agents; Carinthia lists floor-layers and glaziers. That regional fine-tuning gives SMEs outside Vienna greater leverage to recruit abroad, but they must document that the job will be based in the respective Land.
Practical take-aways: HR teams should update job descriptions, salary budgets and advertisement wording immediately. Candidates already in Austria on job-seeker visas can convert to an RWR Card more easily if their profession now qualifies. Immigration advisers also note that the expanded list could reduce processing times, as authorities use automated cross-checks for pre-defined roles – a welcome relief after the well-publicised backlogs of 2024.
