A social partners' paper, jointly developed by the AK, the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB), and the Association of Pension and Provident Funds of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), has set out plans to reform the Austrian pension system.

Notably, the plans include the expansion of occupational pension schemes as an important supplement to the state pension.

The paper was presented at the 2025 Pension Talks, held at the AK Vienna Education Centre, which featured leading representatives from politics, business, and social partners.

The plans will now serve as a basis for the federal government's concrete legislative steps.

Speaking at the event, Austrian Finance Minister, Dr. Markus Marterbauer, emphasised the "historically great success" of the Austrian pension system, as well as the regular adaptations and the importance of such social partner agreements in these processes.

"Austria has a very good pension system – even by international comparison – which is regularly adapted to current circumstances and adapted accordingly to achieve and maintain the goals of a high standard of living and poverty prevention in old age," he claimed.

"The pillars that complement the basis of statutory pension insurance have been established for decades.

"A further development based on compromise and consensus, which entails a strengthening of the second pillar, is also in the interest of companies that have a competitive advantage with an occupational pension scheme, especially in times of a reduced supply of skilled workers," he said.

ÖGB federal director, Dr. Helene Schuberth, explained that the plans involved expanding access to the second pillar by making the premium subsidy model more attractive for people with low incomes, by establishing a general pension fund agreement, and by offering better pensions for those entitled to
benefits.

"This represents a successful compromise in the good old tradition of social partnership," he added.

Meanwhile, AK social policy department head, Sybille Pirklbauer, said that statutory social pension insurance was the "foundation" of Austria's retirement provision.

"Company-sponsored pension schemes are a good complement to this, offering significant advantages over private insurance. Therefore, we want to implement measures to open access to all employees and provide better support to people on low incomes."

WKO chairman of the Association of Pension and Provident Funds, Andreas Zakostelsky, added that company pension provision was a "key lever" throughout Europe for making the pension system future-proof and resilient.

"Therefore, our common goal must be to ensure that everyone in Austria has access to a supplementary occupational pension. This is a crucial factor in maintaining quality of life in old age, especially for women and people with low incomes," he said.

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