The unemployment rate among Syrian immigrants in Austria is by far the highest – almost 35 per cent for men and 45 per cent for women. This is according to the latest integration report.
According to the 2024 Integration Report, Syrian (36.7 per cent) and Iraqi (23.5 per cent) nationals had the highest unemployment rates. There was again a clear difference by gender among Afghan nationals. While the unemployment rate for Afghan men was 17.2 per cent in 2023, it was more than twice as high for Afghan women at 37 per cent.
Syrian women had the highest unemployment rate in 2023 at 45 per cent. The fact that their rate was significantly higher than that of Afghan women (37 per cent) can probably be explained by the fact that Syrian women registered as jobseekers much more frequently. The unemployment rate for Afghan and Syrian men is similar – 17.2 per cent compared to 34.6 per cent.
These differences are probably due to the fact that Syrian nationals often have higher qualifications than Afghan nationals, which is why the latter are looking for work for longer.
However, according to the integration report, what has been observed more and more frequently in recent years is that immigrant Syrian nationals have neither sufficient previous education nor work experience. However, this also means that they have a growing need for literacy.
By way of comparison, the unemployment rate among Ukrainian nationals in 2023 was 14.1 per cent, similar to that of Turkish (14.4 per cent) or Bulgarian (13.8 per cent) nationals.
Arbeitslosigkeit: Höchste Arbeitslosenrate unter Syrern, Irakern und Afghanen | Exxpress