Three quarters of refugee-linked households in Vienna rely on taxpayer-funded support

75% of refugee-linked households in Vienna depend on public assistance to get by. This figure contrasts with the self-sufficiency of households with no migrant background.

The integration of refugees into the working and economic life of **Vienna** appears to be a persistent challenge. According to an analysis by **Statistics Austria**, three quarters of households linked to people from the main countries of origin of asylum applications cannot support themselves without resorting to government benefits. This means that, in the Austrian capital, only one in four of these households is economically self-sufficient.

## The reality of welfare dependency in Vienna

The study analysed roughly **103,000 households** across **Austria** that included at least one refugee, asylum seeker or person with subsidiary protection from countries such as **Syria**, **Afghanistan**, **Iraq**, **Iran**, **Somalia** or **Chechnya**. The results for **Vienna** were particularly striking, with **75%** of the households examined depending on minimum income benefits or comparable state support to cover their needs.

Nationally, the dependency rate is lower but still significant: **47%** of the households included in the study could not sustain themselves independently. A household was considered self-sufficient when its income came from employment, pensions, unemployment insurance or sick leave, as opposed to minimum income assistance and welfare programmes.

## A contrast with households without a migrant background

The figures for refugee-linked households in **Vienna** contrast sharply with those of Austrian households with no migrant background. Among the latter, between **90% and 93%** of households were classified as self-sufficient. Even in **Vienna**, the self-sufficiency rate for non-migrant households stood at a respectable **86%**, a considerable difference from the **25%** self-sufficiency rate among refugee-linked households.

## Integration policy and employment

Faced with this situation, Integration Minister **Claudia Bauer** has stressed the urgency of getting welfare recipients into employment more quickly. According to her statements, the welfare state should be a springboard to self-sufficiency, not a permanent destination. Future policy will place greater emphasis on enforcing integration obligations, with the possibility of benefit cuts for those who refuse to take part in required measures.

It has been observed that the withdrawal of minimum income support for people with subsidiary protection in **Vienna** coincided with a drop of more than a third in unemployment within this group, according to data from the **Austrian** Public Employment Service. The government interprets this as a sign that many recipients can find work, even in difficult economic conditions, once benefit rules are tightened.