Austria as a Business Location Holds Its Own in Turbulent Times

Companies supported by the ABA in 2025 will invest € 900 million in Austria. Many of these companies also attended the “Meet Austria” business-location conference, where innovations were showcased and future investments discussed.

On 11 February, the Austrian Federal Government hosted the country’s largest business-location conference under the motto “Meet Austria”. A total of 440 guests from 40 countries and five continents attended, primarily CEOs and senior representatives of international companies, alongside Austrian business stakeholders and members of the Federal Government. 

Before the opening, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer and ABA Managing Director René Tritscher spoke to the assembled press about the Government’s economic policy plans and measures to make Austria a more attractive location, the role the ABA will play within the Industrial Strategy, and how the Agency will continue to evolve.

ABA Managing Director René Tritscher also presented the Agency’s 2025 performance record, which is impressive:

• 283 international companies supported by the ABA will invest around € 900 million in Austria and create more than 2,700 new jobs. 

• The share of start-ups and scale-ups (42) and research projects (35) among business relocations and expansions has risen again. 

• The share of projects from Central and Eastern Europe has grown particularly strongly. 24 projects come from Hungary; only Germany accounts for more in the ABA’s figures (67). 

ICT and life sciences among the top five sectors 

Around 23 % of relocations relate to projects that bring high value creation to Austria—another increase compared with 2024. The focus is on future sectors such as information and communication technology (ICT), which once again took the top spot with 72 projects. Life sciencesLife sciences () (23 projects) also ranked among the top five sectors. 

An upcoming investment in life sciences was also announced in the context of “Meet Austria”: global medical technology company GE HealthCare intends to expand its site in Upper Austria and significantly increase its production capacity. The company will communicate detailed plans over the course of the year. 

International talent for Austria 

Companies in Austria benefit from a highly educated population. To help businesses attract internationally sought-after skilled workers and top talent, the ABA promotes Austria as a place to work and livepromotes Austria as a place to work and live (). In the past year, the Agency advised 21,000 professionals on living and working in Austria, 31 % more than in 2024. With almost 4,000 consultations provided by the Residence & Immigration Service Point on the Red-White-Red Card, results also exceeded the previous year. 

“The results from last year are striking: international companies, skilled workers and their families readily make use of our free services. The ABA has established itself as Austria’s centre of expertise for business location projects, international talent and film productions. The combination of personal advice and digital services has proven its worth, and we will continue to develop it in line with our clients’ needs,” said ABA Managing Director René Tritscher. “Our goal is clear: to bring international investment to Austria, create jobs and strengthen the country’s competitiveness over the long term.”

Impressions from “Meet Austria” 

At the conference, ABA staff held numerous discussions with representatives of international companies and connected them with representatives of the Federal Government, research institutions and innovative Austrian businesses.