World Champion Austria Carinthia
Good mood and optimism in the South The economic data for 2020 is encouraging and much better than was expected at the start of the Covid pandemic. Now it is time to invest.
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ncreased export turnovers and a positive business outlook defined the Carinthian Investment and Business Conference, where business representatives gave the provincial government a first-hand account of the atmosphere across the sectors. The appropriate business and investment index shows that Carinthia mastered the pandemic well and now experiences an economic upturn. Surveys among regional businesses show that they consider the opening of the Koralmbahn railway line (planned for 2026) and the subsequent closer ties between Carinthia and Styria a very positive development for the future. With an economic slump of 5.6 percent Carinthia managed 2020 better than the Austrian average of minus 6.5 percent. The recently published export data for 2020 confirm this comparatively good result: The decrease of 7.8 percent is much better than feared at the start of the pandemic. Still, the surplus of 630 million euros in the foreign trade balance is impressive, everyone agreed at the conference. Promoting Carinthia as a place to work and live “We are already right in the middle of the restart after the pandemic’s many challenges,” said Governor Peter Kaiser, underlining the good cooperation of the Province with the health and social services, which stood the test of the pandemic. “The figures show that we managed to get out of the economic crisis quite well. We will keep doing everything we can to offer people the best-possible protection. We commit to vaccinations and testing, and a vaccination rate as high as possible,” Kaiser said. For the job market, Carinthia needs the right combination of skills and an attractive business location. In this context, Carinthia will also need a new approach in terms of the immigration of people that are needed to secure the economy and the wealth of the people. “Carinthia offers education, innovation, tourism, more markets and cross-regionality. Furthermore, we will have improved economic centres thanks to
the Koralmbahn railway line. And we will be blowing our trumpet on these things internationally,” said Kaiser. Vice-Governor and Councillor for Employment and Economic Promotion Gaby Schaunig considers the pandemic a magnifying glass that has highlighted Carinthia’s weaknesses but also its strengths. One of these strengths is the Province’s collaboration with health and social services, businesses and the job centre: “We have been a winning team since 2013 and did not need to start building trust only during the pandemic.” Another of Carinthia’s strengths is its good mix of trades and industries, its industrial sector, its research and its high quality of life. Businesses are investing specifically into sustainability, greening, digitisation and research, Schaunig said. She also highlighted the Green Tech Cluster, operated with the Province of Styria, the Silicon Austria Labs and the Silicon Alps Cluster. Carinthia wants to approach more small businesses, mainly as part of the Digital Innovation Hub, that are looking at digital transformation with sustainability in mind. Plans for the job market include a stronger focus on skills; Schaunig pointed out that there is already a training scheme in place, organised in cooperation with the Carinthian building sector. Cautious optimism Sebastian Schuschnig, Councillor for Economic Affairs and Tourism, spoke of a gasp of relief among Carinthia’s businesses and a cautiously optimistic outlook for the future. He considers the investment bonus a highly effective instrument. It helped businesses across many sectors to invest into greening, expanding capacities and innovation. Schuschnig also highlighted the positive development of Carinthia’s exports. The economic upswing has also been carried by the Province’s investment boosts, securing added value and jobs. 50 million euros have been put aside for roads, bridges and bicycle paths in 2021 alone. “Investments into the infrastruc-
