Salary, Wages and Pay

When an employee performs an activity within the framework of an employment contract, they are entitled to payment. In the case of white-collar workers, this is usually referred to as a salary, and in the case of workers, it is called wages.

In Austria, the minimum wage or salary for employees in the private sector is regulated in the collective agreements, and partly also by minimum wage rates and remuneration for apprentices.

Remuneration for Apprentices

In most industries, remuneration for apprentices is regulated via collective agreements. If there is no collective agreement, the Federal Conciliation Office can set the remuneration for apprentices.

Current remuneration for apprentices from the Federal Conciliation Office can be viewed on the Legal Information of the Republic of Austria (RIS) website.

Currently, remuneration for apprentices has been laid down for fitness coaches, sport administrators, event technicians, commercial apprentices at printing companies and manufacturers of printing blocks as well as trade apprentices at printing companies and manufacturers of printing blocks.

Wage Rates for Piece or Output Workers

The wage rates for piece work regulate the conditions of work and delivery for piece or output workers. They are set by the Federal Conciliation Office. Piece workers are persons who work manually in their own home or in a self-chosen workshop. Office-type work, such as teleworking, accounting and translation, is not covered by the Piece Work Act. 

Given their lack of personal dependence on an employer, piece workers are not employees in a narrower sense; however, they are financially dependent on those who buy their goods. A separate law therefore applies to them, the Piece Work Act, which has the goal of protecting piece and output workers. The labour law provisions which it contains – for example on issues such as holidays, payment for public holidays, continued pay when they are prevented from working, special payments, payment when they are in need of care, the termination of the employment relationship and severance pay – have been continuously adapted to the provisions which apply to workers in companies.

The current rates of pay for piece work can be viewed on the website of the Legal Information System of the Federal Chancellery (RIS). They apply to the production and working of brushes and paint brushes, the processing and packaging of chemical products, the manufacture or processing of turnery articles and other wooden products, chain stitch embroidery, buttons and their adjustment, the production or working of wickerwork and raffia products, the production or working of handicraft articles, the manufacture or processing of articles made of plastic, Austria,  the production or processing of goods made of plastic, political district of Gmünd, envelope stuffing, addressing, adjusting or packing goods, machine-made embroidery (Schifflistickerei) and the production or working of toys and games of all kinds.

Minimum Wage Rates

Minimum wage rates contain regulations on minimum payments and minimum amounts for the reimbursement of expenses in sectors where no collective agreement can be concluded. The setting of minimum wage rates is carried out by the Federal Conciliation Office.

Current Minimum Wage Rates

All minimum wage rates can be viewed on the website of the Legal Information System of the Federal Chancellery (RIS).

Minimum wage rates for caretakers and facility managers apply to the execution of cleaning and maintenance work and ‘other work’. The rates came into effect on 1 January 2022, and their expected validity is one year.

Minimum wage rates are shown for caretakers and facility managers in Burgenland, Carinthian caretakers and facility managers, Lower Austrian caretakers and facility managers, Upper Austrian caretakers and facility managers, caretakers and facility managers in Salzburg, Styrian caretakers and facility managers, Tyrolean caretakers and facility managers, caretakers and facility managers in Vorarlberg, and Viennese caretakers and facility managers.

As of 1 January 2013, a minimum wage rate for housekeepers and domestic workers for the whole of Austria entered into force for the first time. Existing more favourable agreements may not be worsened by the new minimum wage rate. These minimum wage rates also apply to employment relationships in accordance with the Caretakers Act. In the case of payment with service vouchers, the regulations governing this must be observed. This came into effect on 1 January 2021, and its expected validity is two years.

The minimum wage rate for caretakers applies to employment relationships concluded after September 2005. Employment relationships according to the Caretakers Act are not within the scope of this minimum wage rate. This rate has applied throughout Austria since 1 January 2022. Information on the minimum wage rate for caretakers (PDF, 172 KB) is available for download.