Social and further training fund for temporary work Austria

Agencies that offer temporary work are obliged by law to contribute a fixed share of their payroll costs (0.35%) to a training fund and may receive reimbursement of their training costs such as course fees and wage costs. Agencies can receive subsidies up to 200% (occasionally 300%) of their contributions to the fund. However, de minimis regulation applies, limiting large corporations' access to a full reimbursement of their incurred training costs. Current temporary workers can choose among training opportunities free of charge and receive a supplementing wage subsidy in case of entering a PES funded long-term training measure. Former temporary agency workers (currently unemployed) are also eligible for training subsidies. No preferential treatment for particular groups is applied. Only the education and training offered by recognised training providers (as reported in a list of eligible providers) is eligible. It includes programmes leading to a formal vocational qualification and short vocational courses (e.g. related to welding, forklift driving, and many more). The fund is managed by social partners (representatives of employers and employees). The Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs, and Consumer Protection plays a supervisory role.