Wiederkehr wants to significantly increase the share of qualified teachers in Austria

Overall, in the current school year just over half of newly hired teachers were trained educators or career changers with a relevant academic degree and professional experience who complete their pedagogical training while working. Teacher education students without a bachelor's degree accounted for more than a quarter of new hires in the current school year. In addition, 17 percent of new hires were covered by other special contracts for teachers without appropriate training or certification, for example for practice-oriented specialist teaching at vocational middle and upper secondary schools (BMHS).

The ministry attributes the decline to a development in recent years: especially at compulsory schools, i.e., primary and secondary schools (Mittelschulen), many teachers were hired already during their studies. This correspondingly shrank the pool of new teachers who can be freshly hired after graduation.

Stricter rules for entering the profession

In the medium term, Wiederkehr wants to ensure that teachers may only stand in front of a class once at least the first part of teacher training has been completed. Within eight years, the master's degree must also be completed. If not, this is grounds for dismissal – even though school principals are not obliged to actually terminate the employment relationship, as APA reported on 14 June 2026.

Career changers nevertheless remain an important pillar of teacher recruitment for the ministry, in future also at primary schools. Currently, twelve percent of new hires are certified and employed under a regular contract on the basis of a relevant qualification and professional experience for a teaching subject. Since the program started in 2022, this share has risen.

Declining student numbers as relief

At the same time, the anticipated decline in student numbers and flattening teacher retirement figures are expected to ease the personnel situation. In primary schools, demand already fell in 2024, according to the human resources strategy. In secondary education, especially at Mittelschulen, AHS, and BMHS, demand is to begin declining from 2028 and to halve by 2034.

Because the teacher education program has been shortened by one year, a "super graduating year" is also approaching, in which several cohorts will complete their studies at the same time. Added to this is the increased number of teacher education students resulting from the "Klasse Job" initiative. A certain level of special contracts will always be necessary, however, as the ministry emphasizes in the budget sub-volume – for example, when additional teachers are needed at short notice due to unexpected crises or migration movements.

Attrition rate to fall to 4.5 percent

A second focus of the strategy is reducing the attrition rate in the first years of the profession. The previous peak was reached in 2022/23 with 6.9 percent of teachers leaving within the first five years; in the past school year, the figure was 4.8 percent. From 2027, it is to be only 4.5 percent. Since data collection began in 2018/19, the figures have risen continuously.

The attrition rate is particularly high in the state sector, i.e., at primary and secondary schools (Mittelschulen), at 5.2 percent, and in certain federal states such as Vienna, at 6.3 percent. Wiederkehr therefore wants significantly more qualified teachers again, as stated in the human resources strategy published on Friday.