Shortage occupation workers: nationwide and regional list, section 12a AuslBG, Annex B points, collective agreement pay and application route for the Red-White-Red Card.
The Red-White-Red Card for shortage occupation workers is a separate admission route. Section 12a paragraph 1 of the Foreigners Employment Act (AuslBG) requires an occupation listed in the annual Skilled Workers Ordinance under section 13, a completed vocational training that matches the shortage occupation, the minimum points under Annex B and the pay under statute, ordinance or collective agreement including customary overpayment. Unlike other key workers, the individual labour market test does not apply.
For 2026 the official information on migration.gv.at states a minimum of 55 points, a binding Austrian job offer and both a nationwide and several regional shortage occupation lists. The lists change every year. Anyone building an application on this route should check the ordinance in force at the time of filing and the regional list for the employer seat before contract, employer declaration and qualification evidence are finalised.
This article structures the review along the listed occupation, the vocational training, the actual duties, the points, the pay and the application route under section 41 NAG and section 20d AuslBG. For the general framework see the topic page Red-White-Red Card. On employer contract, employer declaration and job profile see Employer documents for the Red-White-Red Card.
The check organises listing, training, points and the employer package. Each result path can be sent to the firm with its own context.
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For an occupation on the nationwide list, the exact job title should be compared with the actual duties and the job description. Deployment across Austria is possible, but the mapping remains reviewable.
Where the occupation is only on a regional list, the employer seat and the actual work location should sit in the listed federal state. Later relocation without renewed review is delicate for an employer-tied admission.
Without a listed occupation, the shortage occupation route does not carry the case. Options include other key workers, very highly qualified workers, the EU Blue Card and other admissions. The category determines evidence and procedure.
For regulated professions, formal recognition under the applicable professional acts is a precondition for admission. The recognition decision or the pending recognition file with reference number should be available before the Red-White-Red Card is filed.
For non-regulated occupations, the qualification is assessed inside the admission procedure using training certificates, work experience and job profile. The training should match the listed occupation in content. Certificates and translations should be prepared early.
The 55 points arise from training, work experience, language skills and age. Each point should rest on an item of evidence. Language diplomas, years of work and level of training should be prepared separately.
Before filing, the employer declaration, the employment contract and the job profile should describe the same job. Company, work location, weekly hours, duration, duties and gross pay must be consistent. Collective agreement classification and overpayment should be stated separately.
Where contract and declaration diverge on weekly hours, duties or pay, the AMS assessment is directly affected. The documents should be compared line by line and then corrected. A later improvement request can often be avoided.
The admission route for shortage occupation workers depends on a listed occupation. Section 13 AuslBG empowers the Federal Minister for Labour, in agreement with the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, to designate occupations with proven skilled worker shortages as shortage occupations every year by ordinance. Nationwide and regional lists are kept separately because demand differs by federal state.
Only occupations actually named in the ordinance in force at the time of application carry the route under section 12a AuslBG. Earlier lists help to understand the system but do not replace the current version. For 2026 the version in force at the moment of filing should always be checked.
The wording used in the ordinance is authoritative. Internal role titles inside a company are only orientation. Where the job profile and the contract show the listed occupation without a detour, later mapping in the NAG and AMS procedure becomes easier.
Section 12a paragraph 1 AuslBG bundles five conditions. First, the occupation must be named in the ordinance under section 13. Second, the applicant must evidence completed vocational training that matches the shortage occupation. Third, the minimum points under Annex B must be reached. Fourth, statutory, regulatory or collective agreement pay applies together with the customary overpayment. Fifth, the conditions of section 4 apply with the exception of item 1.
The exception to section 4 item 1 means that the individual labour market test does not apply. Proof of specific replacement workers on the labour market is not required for shortage occupation workers. All other admission conditions of section 4 remain unaffected.
Section 12a paragraph 1 refers expressly to section 20d paragraph 1, which sets out the joint filing and forwarding procedure with the NAG authority. Residence and labour market admission are assessed inside the same procedural step.
The Skilled Workers Ordinance for 2026 contains a nationwide list and annexes with regional lists for each federal state. The current version is published on migration.gv.at and in the Legal Information System of the Republic (RIS). A look at both lists is worthwhile because regional additions are common.
Which list carries the occupation is decisive. For a nationwide listed occupation the spatial mapping is easy. For an occupation only on a regional list, the employer seat and the actual work site should sit in the listed federal state. Later relocation of the deployment can trigger labour market queries.
The occupation title in the ordinance is the starting point. What counts is the occupation actually performed in the sense of the ISCO classification. The employer job description should show the listed occupation clearly and should not contain contradictory tasks from another occupational field.
Under section 12a paragraph 1 item 2 AuslBG, completed vocational training matching the shortage occupation must be evidenced. The training should fit the listed occupation in substance. A general secondary education without occupational reference is rarely sufficient. Apprenticeship, vocational secondary school, university of applied sciences and university are all possible depending on the profession.
Vocational training is read together with the duties. Anyone hired as a metal technician should show the core duties of that profession in training and planned duties. A pure title in the contract without any link to the training raises queries.
Foreign certificates must be produced with translation and, depending on the country of origin, with apostille or legalisation. The Documents and translations checklist supports completeness. Subject transcripts and hours can be added where certificates are ambiguous.
The Annex B points scheme bundles training, work experience, language skills and age. For 2026 the official migration information states at least 55 points. Each point should rest on a piece of evidence. Anyone close to the threshold should secure additional admissible evidence rather than estimate values.
Training is weighted by level and field. Work experience is measured by years in the occupation, supported by employer references that show duties, period and working time. Language skills count based on recognised certificates, usually German at the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference. Age is calculated as of the filing date.
A clean points sheet that references the evidence items makes review easier for the authority. Additional appendices for further training, additional qualifications and language certificates should be embedded in the application early. The Residence permit check gives an initial orientation but does not replace an individual points calculation.
Section 12a paragraph 1 item 4 AuslBG requires pay under statute, ordinance or collective agreement together with the customary overpayment. The applicable collective agreement must be identified and the correct classification by wage group, year of employment and duty must be documented.
Allowances must not disguise a base salary that is too low. For the AMS assessment, base pay and allowances must be shown separately. Weekly hours and working time percentage belong on the same sheet. A gross figure without context regularly draws queries.
For part-time work or special working time patterns, the pro-rata base pay and the resulting overpayment should be made traceable separately. For the systematic approach see Employer documents for the Red-White-Red Card.
The current information on migration.gv.at notes that formal recognition is required only for regulated professions. For non-regulated professions, the qualification is assessed inside the admission procedure. The distinction matters because it changes both timing and competent bodies.
Regulated professions include health professions, technical professions with a professional authorisation and educational professions. Recognition decisions are issued by the competent federal or provincial offices. Before filing, the decision should be available or the recognition procedure should be running with a reference number.
For non-regulated professions, well-documented training in connection with work experience and job profile is usually sufficient. Additional certificate documents can still make sense where the foreign title deviates strongly from the Austrian occupational picture.
The application for the Red-White-Red Card for shortage occupation workers is filed under section 41 NAG with the competent NAG authority. The authority forwards the file together with the employer declaration under section 20d paragraph 1 AuslBG to the regional AMS office competent for the employer seat, provided that no residence law obstacle arises upfront.
In residence law terms, the general NAG conditions apply, in particular secured means of subsistence, adequate accommodation, health insurance and Module 1 of the Integration Agreement in the applicable stage. The topic page Documents and deadlines organises these conditions in the procedure.
Applicants already living in Austria who want to switch category should also review the change of purpose and the admissible transition. A later change of employer before the Red-White-Red Card plus is covered in Change of employer with the Red-White-Red Card.
Common mistakes are a job title that does not show the listed occupation in the contract, training without content link, estimated points, missing language evidence and an employer declaration that does not fit the contract. Confusion with other key workers or with the EU Blue Card also causes queries. The article EU Blue Card shows the special rules for that route.
Useful items for a legal review are the current residence status, the intended start of work, the listed occupation with source, training certificates, work experience, language diplomas, employer declaration, employment contract, job profile and a short chronology. On this basis, shortage occupation, other key worker and self-employed key worker paths can be separated clearly.
For other key workers, self-employed profiles or special constellations a separate review is required. The article Self-employed key worker shows the systematic approach there. Consolidation is best done in an initial consultation rather than with half-completed forms.
Yes. The route under section 12a AuslBG applies only where the actual occupation is designated as a shortage occupation in the Skilled Workers Ordinance in force at that time. Earlier lists do not replace the current version.
The nationwide list applies across Austria. Regional lists cover additional demand in individual federal states. Where the occupation is listed only regionally, the employer seat and the actual work location should sit in the listed federal state.
For 2026 the official migration information states at least 55 points. Points come from training, work experience, language skills and age. Each point should rest on an item of evidence.
The official information notes that formal recognition is required only for regulated professions. For non-regulated professions, the qualification is assessed inside the admission procedure through certificates, experience and job profile.
In addition to the statutory, regulatory or collective agreement base pay, the customary overpayment must be made traceable. Allowances should not be used to conceal a base salary that is too low.
Read categories, admission and application in context.
Align contract, declaration and job profile before filing.
Prepare the later transition to free choice of employer.
Organise documents for the applicant and the employer.
Refresh the basic function and boundaries in a short entry.