Working in Austria through an agency: pay, A1 and housing

There are two ways to work in Austria. You can be hired directly by an Austrian company. Or a Slovenian agency employs you and posts you to an Austrian client. As an EU citizen you need no work permit for either route; see the post on work permits in Germany and Austria.

The A1 certificate is the form that proves you stay insured at home while you work abroad. For a posting it covers up to 24 months. How the agency obtains it is explained in the post on the A1 certificate for posted workers.

Austria has no statutory minimum wage. Each sector's collective agreement sets the lowest pay. Under § 3 LSD-BG, as a posted worker you are entitled to at least the pay the Austrian collective agreement sets for your work. Two examples for 2026:

Austrian collective agreements also provide two special payments: holiday pay (Urlaubszuschuss) and a Christmas bonus (Weihnachtsremuneration). In the metal industry each is worth one monthly wage. As a posted worker you receive a share of both payments with every monthly wage, not as two lump sums (§ 3 LSD-BG). If an offer quotes only an hourly rate, ask whether these two payments are included.

During the posting, your paid leave may not be lower than Austrian law provides (§ 4(2) LSD-BG). If your Slovenian leave is shorter, the Austrian entitlement applies for the time of the posting. In construction, leave runs through BUAK, the Austrian construction workers' holiday and severance pay fund; see the post on BUAK holiday pay for posted workers.

When an agency posts you to Austria, Slovenian and Austrian law give it these duties:

You do not file these documents yourself, but you should know they exist. They are exactly what an inspection on site checks. The post on Austria's LSD-BG rules covers the employer's side in more detail.

No law says the agency must pay for your room or your travel. Your contract decides, and under Art. 209 ZDR-1 it must list every benefit for the time abroad. Austrian law adds one rule. If an Austrian law or your sector's collective agreement provides for reimbursement of travel, accommodation or meal costs, you are entitled to it as a posted worker too (§ 3(7) LSD-BG).

At Evroproces, whether accommodation is provided and who covers its cost is agreed with the client for each project. So ask before you sign, and make sure the answer is written into your contract. What to look for in the room itself is covered in the post on working in Germany with accommodation; the questions are the same for Austria.

After 12 months of posting, Austrian employment law applies to you wherever it is more favourable. The exceptions are the rules on signing and ending your contract, non-compete clauses and company pensions. If the agency sends a reasoned notification, this limit moves to 18 months (§ 2(3) LSD-BG). The A1 certificate covers a posting of up to 24 months.

Evroproces is an agency based in Maribor. We currently place workers in Slovenia, Austria and Germany. For Austria we publish vacancies as needed, in production, welding, locksmithing (industrial metalwork) and pipefitting. When we have an opening in Austria, you will find it among our open jobs.

We place candidates who already have the right to work in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, or who hold a valid Slovenian or Croatian residence-and-work permit. The language level you need depends on the client's requirements and is stated for each vacancy.

If you are interested in work in Austria, fill in the questionnaire on the job search page. We reply within 24 hours. You can also call us on +386 70 630 880.