Chamber of Commerce Upper Austria

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The Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKOÖ) is one of the nine regional chambers of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and is therefore the sole legal representative of the interests of the economy in the state of Upper Austria .

membership

As of December 31, 2019, the public corporation had 98,886 members (including multiple memberships in various federal states), of which 80,796 are active (not dormant) members. WKO Upper Austria has 1411 functionaries, 118,783 division members, 125,007 specialist group members and employs 399 people (excluding WIFI, divisions and specialist organizations).

year Members WKO Upper Austria (as of December 31, 2018) of which active (without dormant memberships)
1980 34,199 30,155
1985 35,591 30,661
1990 40,967 33,682
1995 47,407 37.173
2000 57,088 44,946
2001 59,397 46,641
2002 61,517 48.211
2003 63,671 49,999
2004 65,604 51,712
2005 67,345 53,412
2006 68,626 54,900
2007 70.094 56,150
2008 74,993 60,717
2009 77,863 63.015
2010 80.241 65,024
2011 82,133 66,607
2012 84.206 68,099
2013 86,996 70,357
2014 89,573 72,613
2015 92,108 74,718
2016 94,324 76,572
2017 96,404 78,447
2018 97,577 79,638
2019 98,886 80,796

Members by division

Current figures for Upper Austria (as of December 31, 2019)

Members by division 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
Trade and craft 52,643 56,622 55,365 53,464 46,882 44,312 42,073
trade 31,693 35,328 35.504 35,199 30,891 30,348 29,973
Industry 1,159 1,364 1,365 1,372 1,184 1,799 1,818
Bank and insurance 155 162 164 169 181 188 195
Transport and traffic 5,360 5,877 5,790 5,792 5.116 5,053 5,028
Tourism and leisure industry 10,439 11,089 11,167 11,144 10,517 10,527 10,426
Information and Consulting 17,334 18,300 18.001 17,711 16.191 15,869 15,543

structure

The WKOÖ is geographically divided into a head office in Linz and 16 district offices (Braunau, Eferding, Freistadt, Gmunden, Grieskirchen, Kirchdorf, Linz-Stadt, Linz-Land, Perg, Ried, Rohrbach, Schärding, Steyr, Urfahr-Umgebung, Vöcklabruck , Wels), who, in addition to the industry representatives, are the first point of contact for all members. In technical terms, the WKOÖ is divided into seven sections (trade and craft, industry, trade, banking and insurance, transport and traffic, tourism and leisure, information and consulting), which in turn are divided into 93 specialist organizations (specialist groups, guilds, committees and specialist representatives) . They represent and advise on industry issues.

Structure and guidelines

Freely elected officials and employees work together in the organization. As a service partner of Upper Austrian entrepreneurs, the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce represents the common interests of its members externally and works together with the specialist groups as part of the social partnership in the conclusion of collective agreements.

In November 2015, Josef Resch ( Resch & Frisch ), chairman of the Wels Chamber of Commerce , called for a ban on trade unions "just like in the south of the USA ".

Offer core

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The areas of interest representation, service and education are core offers. As a lobby group, the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce takes up the concerns of the economy, creates business-friendly framework conditions, plays a leading role in helping to shape economic development and is the mouthpiece of the local economy. In the service area there is a wide range of services and advice for member companies (online services, law, career advice and professional information, industry and regional service, business administration, funding, newsletters, information on foreign trade / environment / technology / innovation, etc.). The educational offer of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce ranges from information events, workshops and seminars to WIFI further education opportunities (courses, seminars, WIFI entrepreneurial academy). As the publisher of the newspaper “OÖ Wirtschaft”, the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce also appears in journalism.

Success stories from the advocacy group 2019:

  • Flexibility of working hours implemented.
  • Location Development Act accelerates and simplifies important infrastructure projects.
  • 69 percent success rate in disputes about disability pensions, care allowance and accident pensions for entrepreneurs.
  • More practical RWR cards and better asylum regulations for apprentices bring skilled workers.
  • Improvement and fairness achieved in childcare allowance for the self-employed.
  • Excessive expansion of nature conservation areas and river protection prevented.
  • Extension of the impunity for breaches of the reporting obligation in the social security systems achieved.
  • Further reduction in health insurance contributions for the self-employed achieved.
  • Increase in the subsidy for continued pay to 75 percent enforced.
  • Small business limit will be raised from 30,000 euros to 35,000 euros (from 2020).
  • Raising the limit for low-value assets that can be written off immediately from EUR 400 to EUR 100 (from 2020)
  • Flat rate options for small businesses will be expanded (from 2020).
  • Relief of a total of 1 billion euros in non-wage labor costs by further reducing the IESG contribution from 0.35 percent to 0.2 percent (from 2020).
  • Abolition of the dissolution tax (from 2020).

Success stories from the advocacy group 2018:

  • Less bureaucracy: notifications for exceptions to weekend and holiday rest to the labor inspectorate are no longer required.
  • Sales tax reduction: Sales tax for overnight stays reduced from 13% to 10%. This relieves more than 30,000 businesses across Austria financially and simplifies the VAT calculation.
  • Law eased: If the new EU General Data Protection Regulation is violated for the first time, the authority will initially be advised and only issued a warning. A significant relief for our companies.
  • Savings: We fought to halve the default interest for social security contributions - this saved Upper Austrian businesses 720,000 euros last year.
  • Successfully prevented: tightening of the subcontractor change for public contracts successfully averted. This also enables construction projects to be carried out quickly.
  • Flexible working hours: New working time rules bring advantages for companies, employees and customers.
  • Enforced: From July 1, 2018, reintegration part-time work can also be started one month after the sick leave.
  • Easier company star: Low-emission companies no longer need an operating facility permit. This extension of the "Permit Exemption Ordinance" relieves many companies.
  • Reduction of accident insurance premiums: from 1.3% to 1.2% from January 1, 2019.
  • Advice instead of penalties: “Advice instead of penalties” principle enshrined in the Administrative Penal Act! This saves companies expensive fines for minor violations.
  • Strengthening the companies in the regions: Increased thresholds for public contracts will remain until the end of 2020. This strengthens the companies in the regions.
  • Fewer legal hurdles: An important step in reducing bureaucracy by streamlining federal law succeeded. Around 2,500 laws and ordinances will be deleted without replacement.
  • Amounts reduced: The unemployment insurance for the self-employed is now finally much more affordable thanks to a reduction in contributions. The contribution rate is even reduced retrospectively.
  • Time and money savings: The Location Development Act streamlines and simplifies approval procedures for important infrastructure projects. That saves time and money for the economy.
  • Relief: Far-reaching reduction and capping of late payment and entry surcharges for breaches of reporting obligations in social insurance for companies.
  • Red-White-Red Card: New, more practical solutions for the Red-White-Red Card for workers from non-EU countries.
  • Reduction of the chamber surcharges: Relief for Upper Austrian member companies by 6 million euros from 2019.

Services

Professional organizations - service

  • Industry law (e.g. food law, electrical engineering law, etc.)
  • Industry management, industry indicators, education policy - service
  • Apprenticeship contracts
  • Apprentice, master craftsman and entrepreneur exams
  • Career advice - career information
  • Company training association Upper Austria
  • integration

District offices - service "on site"

  • founding
  • Trade law information
  • Regional-specific information
  • Networks
  • Official get-togethers
  • School - economy

WIFI service

  • Initial and continuing education
  • Company internal training
  • Entrepreneurship Academy

President

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chamber of Commerce members by federal state (PDF). Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b c Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce: About us (PDF) Retrieved on May 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ Membership and start-up statistics . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  4. ^ Trade unions forbid: Welser WK boss on the wrong track Der Standard , 26 November 2015; Outrage over “unions prohibit” ORF November 26, 2015; Chamber of Commerce chairman calls for a ban on the Kurier unions , November 27, 2015; WKO chairman wants to abolish unions. Open letter from the leadership of the GPA-djp Upper Austria GPA-DJP .