The improving economic environment in the European Union also has a positive impact on Austria. In the forecasting period of 1999 to 2004, its real GDP is expected to grow by 2.5 percent p.a. on average, slightly less than the European average. According to the international scenario for...

Non-wage labour costs are relatively high in Austria. This is due, above all, to the level of employer contributions to social security, payroll-dependent charges, and the extent of non-productive times. If – in the interest of logical coherence – bonus payments (13th and 14th monthly...