Every January, when I sit down with a cup of coffee and map out my plans for the year, I notice the same thought creeping into conversations around me: Should I change jobs? Should I try something new? Should I finally take that leap abroad?
It’s not surprising. Whether it’s the search for stability or the simple desire for a fresh start, more and more people are open to working beyond our borders. If there’s one country that consistently pops up on the radar, it’s Austria.
However, this year, something feels different. Austria isn’t just passively welcoming neighbouring workers anymore—they’re actively, strategically, almost aggressively courting them, and not just nurses or chefs, as in previous years. Now they’re searching for IT professionals too.
Let’s be honest: the tech world is exploding. Every industry is digitising, every company wants to be “future‑ready,” and suddenly, IT specialists are the new superheroes of the global job market.
Austria knows it, and they’ve openly admitted that by 2026, they’ll be pouring serious resources into recruiting foreign IT talent because they simply don’t have enough experts at home. According to their own economic chamber, Austria is already short 28,000 specialists, and by 2030, that gap could widen to 40,000.
That’s not a small number for a country of their size, and Austria is not willing to sit back and hope for the best—they’re moving fast.
Austria Is Opening Its Doors to Skilled IT Professionals
Der Standard interviewed two leading tech companies about how they recruit employees, and what really caught my attention is how Austria’s leading tech companies approach recruitment. They’re not sitting around waiting for CVs to magically appear in their inboxes. Instead, they’re out in the world actively searching for people—almost like talent detectives with a very clear mission.
Take Dynatrace, for example. With more than five thousand employees, they’ve built an entire strategy around spotting potential early and nurturing it long before someone officially enters the job market. They recruit globally, they monitor the competition closely, and if they find someone promising, they’re not shy about making a bold offer. They hire around three hundred people a year in research and development alone, and they start building relationships with young talent while they’re still at university—or even earlier. Their presence is felt everywhere from regional campuses to primary schools, where they introduce kids to the world of technology and quietly plant the seeds of future careers.
Bitpanda, Europe’s largest crypto‑trading platform, takes a similarly intentional approach. Instead of relying on traditional job ads, they focus on personalised outreach and target people who want to stay in Europe rather than move to the US or Asia. They use industry networks, LinkedIn, and direct contact to find the right match, and they’re not afraid to approach people who are already working elsewhere.
In today’s tech landscape, talent doesn’t come to you—you go to the talent. Austria is doing exactly that, with a level of energy and precision that feels almost refreshing.
The Bigger Picture: A Trend That Shows No Signs of Slowing
When you look at the numbers, it becomes clear that the desire to work abroad isn’t just a passing phase. Hungarian economic magazine economx.hu reported that the Official Hungarian Statistics Office (KSH) claim that a little over twenty thousand people left the country in 2021, yet other databases paint a very different picture—one closer to 140–150 thousand. That’s not a small discrepancy, and it says a lot about how many people are quietly exploring opportunities elsewhere.
Honestly, when you compare the salaries, the career paths, and the long‑term security offered in places like Austria or Germany, it’s easy to see the appeal. This is especially true in tech, where borders matter less, mobility is simple, and the demand for skilled professionals is almost insatiable.
What I find genuinely striking is how openly Austria talks about its talent shortage—and how decisively it’s responding. Something is refreshing about a country that doesn’t sugarcoat the situation but instead says, very plainly: We need experts. We value what you bring, and we’re ready to invest in you.
If you notice any inaccuracies in my writing, please get in touch with me. I will be happy to correct it.