The number of workers in commerce has increased – the economy

The number of workers in local trade and services increased in the first half of this year. On Thursday, the Austrian Statistics Authority announced that employment in the first half of 2022 increased by 2.1 percent and in services by 9.3 percent compared to the previous year.

The accommodation and gastronomy sector recorded a strong increase in services. There were 22.7 percent more employees here than in the same period the previous year. The number of other economic services increased by 7.9%. In commerce, employment figures are increasing, particularly in wholesale (plus 2.5 percent) and retail (2.0 percent). According to Statistics Austria, the number of hours worked also increased in the first half of the year in trade (plus 5.7 percent) and in the service sector (plus 16.2 percent).

Gross wages and salaries in both sectors (retail at 8 percent, services at 15.6 percent) also rose in the first half of the year. However, according to Statistics Austria, this indicator does not refer to an increase in wages per person, but to the total volume of wages and gross salaries. In addition, the index of total wages and salaries is rising as employment increases, a spokeswoman for Statistics Austria told APA.