Statistics Austria: State data collectors in need

With a total of 110 million euros for 2025, including 6.5 percent inflation coverage, the quality and maintenance of statistical operations are ensured.

For the time being, for a year. The Republic has a serious budget problem; it cannot be assumed that the new finance minister, whoever he is, won’t also save money on statisticians.

The budget of the Austrian Federal Institute for Statistics, which was spun off from the federal administration in 2000 and for which there is even a separate law, has not been increased for years. 50 million euros were written into the law as basic financing (flat-rate reimbursement of costs). There are also proceeds from special projects, all for the public sector.

Shaking game

“It’s a tough game every year. It would be more sensible for everyone involved to valorize,” says Franz Haslauer, commercial manager since the beginning of 2024. Extrapolated with inflation, the flat-rate compensation would have amounted to more than 90 million by 2024, but in fact only 72 million flowed from this title. This could be used to finance all projects for 2025, but then?

“This is not a situation when the statistics have to survive from one year to the next and the plans for the future, starting with artificial intelligence, remain open,” complains the Wifo boss Gabriel Felbermayr. Austria’s most prominent economic researcher is a member of the Statistical Council.

At the end of 2024, the statistics have used up the reserve cushion that was saved up in better times and which cushions the annual losses. According to the 2023 annual report, the minus was 3.157 million. This year the loss is 3.3 million, which is barely covered by the remaining reserves of 3.3 million. In any case, the management report describes the economic situation as “challenging”.

“Official”

When 68 percent of the total costs go to personnel, the inflation is particularly noticeable. The house is subject to high civil service qualifications. Since the spin-off, the number of employees has been reduced from 965 to currently 840, and there are no plans for layoffs, Haslauer calms fears among the workforce.

When it comes to statistical processes, the company is well positioned with digitalization, “but in the administration there is a need to catch up with the processes that are still official,” says Haslauer, citing time recording as an example. “It’s my job to change that.”

The former entrepreneur and head of the canteen has just filled the IT management position. In addition to digitalization and improving work processes, he cites increasing attractiveness as an employer as key areas.

Why is it so important that government statisticians are stable? They collect and measure all relevant and less relevant data in the country. The best known are statistics about the most popular first names, car registrations and incomes.

But the surveys go far beyond that and form the basis for political and public debates. “Statistics are very important for data-based economic policy,” says Felbermayr. Haslauer speaks of an “essential element of democracy” that is becoming increasingly important as a bulwark against fake news. “If we are cut significantly, we will have a problem and with it society.”

Under the turquoise-blue government, there were fears that the Chancellery would want to receive sensitive data in advance and decide whether it should be published, keyword message control. The chief statistician, Konrad Pesendorferformerly in the cabinet of Werner Faymann (SPÖ), cleared the field.

The advance transmissions are now only sent to the Chancellery and public bodies after a formal request and are listed on the homepage. Statistics argue that so that those affected can better prepare for inquiries. Most recently, for example, the Ministry of the Interior received the latest naturalization figures and the Chancellery received quarterly data on the economy.

Two supervisory boards

Statisticians also have some catching up to do when it comes to governance. Both the statistical director Tobias Thomas as well as his commercial counterpart adorn themselves with the title of general director. There are two quasi-supervisory boards, a statistics board and an economic board. The economic expertise here is of course limited, and the council is made up almost entirely of civil servants. Only the chairman Helmut Kern former head of the supervisory board of the state holding company ÖBAG, comes from the business world.

Incidentally, Thomas’ contract expires in May 2025, and the Chancellery is taking its time with a decision on an extension. But the not entirely unpretentious Thomas, who meticulously lists his personal media quotations on the homepage, supposedly already has ambitions for Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office.