The OECD chose 3 November 2025 to publish its flagship “International Migration Outlook 2025”, providing a granular chapter on Austria’s migration flows, labour-market outcomes and policy reforms. According to the report, net immigration to Austria climbed to 126,000 in 2024—its highest level since 2016—driven largely by intra-EU movers and Red-White-Red (RWR) Card holders from the Western Balkans and the Philippines.
The study praises Austria’s October 2022 RWR reform for cutting processing times by 30 percent, but warns that decentralised provincial quotas still create bottlenecks for high-tech employers in Vienna and Upper Austria. It also notes the government’s controversial March 2025 decision to freeze family-reunification visas for recognised refugees, projecting a 40 percent fall in humanitarian arrivals this year.
![OECD releases 2025 International Migration Outlook with Austria spotlight]()
From a corporate-mobility angle, the OECD finds that nearly 14 percent of Austria’s STEM workforce is foreign-born, up from 10 percent a decade ago. Shortages persist in nursing, software engineering and green-tech trades—fields where demand outpaces local training capacity. The report urges Vienna to expand its “Talent Hub” pre-check scheme beyond Manila to Delhi and São Paulo, and to digitise residence-permit renewals by 2026.
Mobility managers should note the OECD’s cost-of-living adjustment: Vienna now ranks third-most expensive among surveyed mid-sized hubs, a factor companies must weigh when budgeting per-diem and housing allowances for expatriates. The study also models that a one-year delay in recognising foreign qualifications costs Austria 0.2 percentage points of GDP annually.
Policy-makers are likely to use the Outlook as ammunition ahead of parliament’s debate on a second-stage RWR liberalisation bill scheduled for December. If passed, the bill would allow in-country switching from student residence to RWR status—potentially streamlining graduate retention for multinational firms.
The study praises Austria’s October 2022 RWR reform for cutting processing times by 30 percent, but warns that decentralised provincial quotas still create bottlenecks for high-tech employers in Vienna and Upper Austria. It also notes the government’s controversial March 2025 decision to freeze family-reunification visas for recognised refugees, projecting a 40 percent fall in humanitarian arrivals this year.
From a corporate-mobility angle, the OECD finds that nearly 14 percent of Austria’s STEM workforce is foreign-born, up from 10 percent a decade ago. Shortages persist in nursing, software engineering and green-tech trades—fields where demand outpaces local training capacity. The report urges Vienna to expand its “Talent Hub” pre-check scheme beyond Manila to Delhi and São Paulo, and to digitise residence-permit renewals by 2026.
Mobility managers should note the OECD’s cost-of-living adjustment: Vienna now ranks third-most expensive among surveyed mid-sized hubs, a factor companies must weigh when budgeting per-diem and housing allowances for expatriates. The study also models that a one-year delay in recognising foreign qualifications costs Austria 0.2 percentage points of GDP annually.
Policy-makers are likely to use the Outlook as ammunition ahead of parliament’s debate on a second-stage RWR liberalisation bill scheduled for December. If passed, the bill would allow in-country switching from student residence to RWR status—potentially streamlining graduate retention for multinational firms.
