How to Hire Welders from Abroad in Austria (2026 Guide)

6 min

The Welder Shortage in Austria and What It Costs

Industrial employers across Austria face a persistent deficit of skilled welders. The shortage is particularly acute in manufacturing and heavy engineering hubs across Upper Austria (Linz, Wels, Steyr), Styria (Graz, Kapfenberg), Vorarlberg, and the Vienna industrial belt. Specialized welding disciplines - such as TIG (WIG) welding for stainless steel pressure vessels, high-yield MIG/MAG structural welding, and certified pipe welding - are hard to fill from the local labor pool.

Because of this ongoing gap, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy (BMAW) consistently places qualified welders (Schweißer) on the official nationwide shortage occupation list (Mangelberufsliste). This classification simplifies the immigration route, but hiring a third-country national still requires time, administrative structure, and financial commitment. Before launching an international search, you should evaluate the complete cost profile.

What This Costs You, Roughly

Bringing a non-EU welder to Austria involves direct administrative costs, verification expenses, and initial onboarding logistics. Below are the standard expense ranges an employer should budget per worker:

Official permit fees: EUR 160 to EUR 200 for the Red-White-Red Card application and issuance fees paid to the local Austrian authorities.
Document translation and legalization: EUR 300 to EUR 800 for certified translations of professional certificates, birth certificates, and police clearance reports into German, along with required court apostilles.
Practical skill and stamp testing: EUR 400 to EUR 1,200 for internal or third-party coupon testing (such as TÜV Austria or WIFI assessments) to verify ISO 9606 compliance prior to production deployment.
Travel and initial arrival: EUR 300 to EUR 1,000 for inbound travel arrangements (flights or long-distance buses) from the candidate's home country to Austria.
Temporary housing support: EUR 500 to EUR 1,200 per month for the first one to three months, as employers usually need to secure or subsidize initial accommodation while the worker establishes residency.

The Legal Route: Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte and Who Files What

To employ a non-EU citizen in Austria, the worker must obtain a Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte). Because welding is listed as a shortage occupation, you use the specific track for "Workers in Shortage Occupations" (Mangelberufe). This track avoids the standard labor market test (Ersatzkraftverfahren), meaning the public employment service does not force you to interview local jobseekers first if the applicant meets all statutory points criteria.

The application relies on a points-based evaluation administered jointly by the Austrian immigration authority and the public employment service (Arbeitsmarktservice, or AMS). To qualify, the candidate must reach a minimum threshold of points based on specific criteria:

Vocational qualification: Completed formal training in welding or metalworking.
Work experience: Verifiable professional experience relevant to the job profile.
Language skills: Basic German language ability (A1 or A2 level according to CEFR) or English language proficiency for specialized international work environments.
Age: Candidates under 30 or 40 years old receive higher baseline points.

The application can be submitted either by the candidate at the competent Austrian embassy or consulate in their home country, or directly by you (the employer) at the local competent authority in Austria. The local authority is the District Commission (Bezirkshauptmannschaft) or the City Administration (Magistrat), such as MA 35 in Vienna. In practice, having your HR team or legal counsel file the application locally in Austria accelerates communication with the decision-makers.

Once received, the immigration authority forwards the application file to the AMS. The AMS validates that the job offer pays the legal minimum wage, that the contract meets Austrian labor standards, and that the applicant meets the shortage points threshold. Always verify current points criteria and list updates directly with the AMS or the official Austrian migration portal (migration.gv.at) before executing contracts.

Realistic Timeline: From Job Offer to First Shift

Hiring a non-EU welder is not a quick fix for an immediate vacancy. It requires systematic planning. From the day you sign an employment contract with a candidate to the day they complete their first shift on your shop floor, expect a timeline of 3 to 6 months.

Weeks 1 to 4 (Document Preparation): The candidate gathers police clearances, educational diplomas, trade certificates, and employment references. These documents must be translated into German by a certified translator and legalized by the relevant ministry or embassy.
Weeks 5 to 12 (Application Processing): The application is lodged with the authority in Austria or the embassy abroad. The AMS reviews the contract terms, salary level, and qualifications. Official processing time legally takes up to 8 weeks, though regional workloads at authorities like MA 35 can extend this period.
Weeks 13 to 16 (Visa Issuance and Relocation): Upon approval, the AMS issues a positive confirmation, and the Austrian embassy issues an entry visa (Visa D) allowing the worker to travel to Austria.
Weeks 17 to 18 (Local Registration and Work Start): The worker arrives in Austria, registers their residential address (Meldezettel), picks up the physical Red-White-Red Card at the local magistrate, registers with the Austrian social security system (ÖGK), and completes company onboarding.

Pay Standards, Collective Agreements, and Qualifications

Austria strictly enforces compliance with mandatory collective bargaining agreements (Kollektivvertraege, or KV). You cannot negotiate a wage below the applicable collective agreement floor. For welders, the relevant agreement is typically the Collective Agreement for the Metal Industry (Kollektivvertrag Metallgewerbe or Metalltechnische Industrie).

The base salary depends on the worker's classification group (Verwendungsgruppe) and years of experience. For a qualified welder, gross base wages generally range from EUR 2,600 to EUR 3,800 per month based on a 38.5-hour standard workweek. In addition to the base salary, Austrian labor law requires mandatory statutory payments:

13th and 14th Month Payments: Employees receive two additional full monthly salaries each year - holiday pay (Urlaubsgeld) in summer and Christmas bonus (Weihnachtsgeld) in winter.
Statutory Allowances (Zulagen): Welding roles often trigger compulsory allowances for hazardous work, dirt, or difficult working conditions (Schmutz-, Erschwernis-, und Gefahrenzulagen), as well as shift-differentials for night work.

Regarding qualifications, Austria has strict quality control regulations under the Industrial Code (Gewerbeordnung). While the company holds the ultimate trade license, individual welders executing structural work under EN 1090 or pressure equipment under ISO 3834 must hold valid ISO 9606-1 (steels) or ISO 9606-2 (aluminum) welder performance qualifications. Foreign certificates issued by accredited international bodies are recognized, but most Austrian employers perform practical test welds (coupon testing) upon arrival to issue plant-specific approvals validated by bodies like TÜV Austria or WIFI.

Housing is another critical duty. While the employer is not legally required to pay for long-term housing indefinitely, you must show proof of suitable accommodation (such as a valid lease agreement) to the authorities as part of the Red-White-Red Card application. Providing furnished company apartments or organized housing for the first few months is essential for retention and fast integration.

Protecting Your Company Against Recruitment Fraud

When sourcing international talent, you must ensure that third parties do not exploit candidates. Legitimate employers pay all administrative fees, recruitment costs, and regulatory filings associated with hiring international staff.

Under Austrian labor laws and international standards (such as the ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative), job seekers must never be charged placement fees, recruitment commissions, or mandatory document processing surcharges. If a foreign agency or broker extracts fees from a candidate in exchange for securing a job at your firm, the worker is being defrauded. This practice creates severe operational and legal risks for your company, including potential liability under human trafficking and labor exploitation statutes. Ensure your sourcing channels are transparent, and state clearly in your offers that no candidate should ever pay for their position.

How to Find Welders on the Workuro Registry

Workuro offers a simple alternative to traditional international recruitment agencies. We operate an open online registry where workers from abroad publish detailed professional profiles, document their certified skills, and state their explicit wish to relocate to Europe, including Austria.

Workuro is not a recruitment agency, executive search firm, or labor broker. We do not place candidates, conduct interviews on your behalf, or charge per-hire placement fees. You search the registry directly, review verified profiles, assess listed welding certifications (such as ISO 9606 classifications and process capabilities), and contact candidates directly to run your own internal selection process.

Our registry is young and growing steadily. While we do not claim to offer hundreds of thousands of candidate files, we provide a focused direct link to tradespeople who actively want to move to Austria for employment. You retain complete control over your hiring process, manage your own contracts, and deal directly with your future employees from day one.