Wiederkehr shows optimism ahead of school start – thousands of hours unfilled

Vorarlberg and Upper Austria show the largest gaps

A particularly high proportion of unfilled hours was reported in Vorarlberg, which traditionally struggles to recruit teachers because of its proximity to Switzerland and where only 43 percent of the 12,700 advertised hours had been filled, and in Upper Austria (22,900 hours advertised, 50 percent assigned). The remaining federal states such as Tyrol and Salzburg also reported open positions, albeit on a smaller scale.

The APA news agency had previously reported on the open hours. The source base draws on ten media reports cited by the Education Ministry and the regional offices as the basis. The data was independently confirmed by six sources.

Wiederkehr belongs to the Neos party. In recent weeks, he had repeatedly emphasized that recruiting teachers was the top priority. This included both domestic recruitment and initiatives to bring career changers into teaching service more quickly.

Background: teacher shortage and outflow

The current figures are set against the backdrop of a teacher shortage in Austria that has persisted for years. Vorarlberg traditionally struggles due to its geographic proximity to Switzerland, where higher salaries are paid, leading to outflows and a lack of new recruits. Upper Austria stands out due to a particularly high number of advertised hours, of which only half have so far been filled.

The remaining federal states such as Tyrol, Salzburg and the eastern regions also recorded open hours, although the ratio to the total number of advertised positions was more favorable than in Vorarlberg. The Education Ministry administers central teaching institutions and practice schools, whose staffing situation is included in the statistics.

The available reports did not specify which concrete measures are expected to take short-term effect. Wiederkehr referred generally to the fact that positions were being filled on an ongoing basis and that further assignments were expected. An official overall figure for the number of hours still unfilled nationwide was not provided in the available reports.

What remains open until the school start

Teacher representatives had repeatedly pointed in earlier statements to the strain caused by substitute hours. Parents' initiatives also called for reliable teaching guarantees. At this point, it remains to be seen how many of the open hours can actually still be filled by the first day of school.

The 2026 school start falls in a phase in which the federal government has identified education as a central reform area. The coming weeks will show whether the minister's optimism is supported by the actual staffing levels at schools.

Coverage in the coming days is likely to focus primarily on developments in Vorarlberg and Upper Austria, where the largest gaps remain. Tyrol and Salzburg will also receive attention with regard to the final assignment figures.