Economic Sectors and Industries

The funding programme "EXIST – university based business start-ups" aims to increase the number and success of technology-oriented and knowledge-based start-ups and to improve the start-up climate at German universities and non-university research institutes. This accompanying evaluation focuses on the EXIST -…

Against the background of the regionality of food, the resistance of the supply systems and the different types of farms, the project addresses several questions. For example, it is to be investigated how farm types can better use the potential of regionality…

The research project 'Business transfer in tourism' provides an inventory of business succession in tourism. In addition, current support services and the funding landscape in Austria and the federal states are analysed. The study was conducted on the basis of an online…

The objectives of the study are to identify the bureaucratic burden on businesses in the commercial economy in Lower Austria, to measure the time spent and costs incurred in fulfilling these obligations, and to calculate a bureaucratic burden index. The focus is…

In 2023, the information and consulting sector recorded a subdued development. Although turnover has increased in nominal terms, there has been a decline in real terms. Companies are generally confident for the current year 2024. With regard to turnover expectations, however, it…

The study examines the current economic significance and development of the commercial cleaning sector, the importance of the sector for the labour market, the market and competitive situation and the economic/financial situation of companies. It also looks at the framework conditions (e.g.…

Since 2009, the "UBIT" survey describes the situation and development in the field of management consulting, accounting and information technology. The basis is analyses of secondary statistical sources as well as an empirical survey of the member companies of the professional association.…

The Austrian retail sector faces numerous challenges: Inflation, rising costs (rents, energy, raw materials), supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, technological change and online competition. Customers expect personalised shopping experiences, fast deliveries and easy returns. Sustainability demands require adjustments, and skills shortages make…

The structural analysis conducted annually on behalf of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber - Trade Division shows for the analysis year 2022 that the downward trend in business figures in the retail sector will continue in 2021 with a brief interruption in…

The study contains an analysis of the situation and development on the Viennese labour market in general and the skilled labour situation of 10 economic sectors (sector portraits) in particular. Based on this, a comprehensive assessment of the skilled labour situation in…

The Creative Industries Report 2023 shows that the Austrian creative industries comprise about 50,000 companies with about 170,000 employees. The sector has generated revenues of € 24 billion, which have increased significantly by 13 % from the first Corona year 2020 to…

The Vienna Creative Industries Report provides a comprehensive overview of the structure and development of Vienna's creative industries. Almost a fifth of Vienna's companies (19,000) belong to the creative industries. These companies employ around 71,300 people and generate a turnover of €…

The study and the results of previous surveys show that it is no longer possible to imagine the retail trade without online trade. Fewer and fewer SMEs in the Austrian retail sector are able to escape the shift of retail to the…

The 14th edition of the nationwide "eCommerce Study Austria" shows unexpected inflation-related changes and a diametrical development in distance commerce: significant increases in the number of buyers meet with significantly declining per capita spending of -9%. For the first time this year,…

Manufacturing processes and transport of building materials are energy-intensive and cause high CO2 emissions. In addition, many building materials pose a health and disposal problem due to their content of disruptive and harmful substances. Regionally available clay can replace conventional materials if…

The Austrian Institute for SME Research has been monitoring the Austrian crafts and trades sector on a quarterly basis since 1981. Data on the current situation and expectations for the following quarter are collected on a quarterly basis for selected sectors. In…

The Retail Trade Yearbook provides the most comprehensive data analysis of Austrian retail trade and shows current figures on the industry structure, turnover and personnel development as well as the profitability of the companies. More Info

Industrial manufacturing processes are still linked with high energy and material demands. Although rental and service models for production facilities have been discussed for many years as promising solutions, such alternatives to the acquisition of facilities have not yet been able to…

The structural change in the stationary retail trade is visibly intensifying - most recently especially due to the consequences of the Corona pandemic and the consequences of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. The number of retail shops is continuously decreasing…

The study serves to record the potential and technological competence of industry and research in the field of lightweight construction in Austria. Based on this, links to lightweight construction strategies and activities in other countries will be established. This serves to embed…

The Creative Industries Barometer provides information on the economic situation of the industry based on a company survey. The creative industries have clearly developed positively in the last twelve months, but not quite as positively as the rest of the economy. The…

This study looks at the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in applied research. The research network Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR) is used as a case example for investigating aspects such as the forms and patterns, the purposes, the benefits, and the challenges and…

While the added value of agricultural goods and food is increasing, companies in agriculture are feeling increasing cost pressure. Labour and social costs in particular contribute to this as essential elements of the cost structure of farms. Since both food prices and…

The 13th edition of the “E-Commerce-Report Austria 2022” analyses the shopping behaviour of the Austrian population regarding classic mail-order business as well as internet retail-trade. The main indicators are the number of Austrians, who buy via distance selling, expenditures and the development…

The study includes a presentation and description of the value chain of the Lower Austrian construction industry (construction sector as well as real estate and housing), an analysis of its regional and economic importance as well as an estimation of the effects…

In this study, for the first time in Austria, a detailed analysis of balance sheet data was made for three important elements of the value chain: Food production excluding feed, restaurants and hotels, inns and guesthouses. The period covers the period up…

After Corona-related declines in turnover in 2020, the information and consulting sector developed positively again in 2021. Only in the printing, advertising and book/media industries was it not yet possible to reach the starting level of 2019. For 2022, the companies expect…

The Tenth Austrian Creative Industries Report sheds light on the resilience of the creative industries in the Corona crisis. The creative industries data sheet includes the analysis of current data on the economic significance, the development before and during the Corona crisis…

The creative industries were affected to varying degrees by the lockdowns. Despite the Corona pandemic, it can be seen that creatives are important drivers of digital transformation. The Creative Industries Report is available at the following link: https://www.kreativwirtschaft.at/neunter-kreativwirtschaftsbericht

The foodservice industry is facing special challenges and pressures as a result of the Covid 19 crisis and infection risk reduction measures. To assess future trends and evaluate measures to improve crisis management, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge of the…

The Report 2021 shows the economic development of the member companies of the Information and Consulting sector for the year 2020, an assessment of the order situation with the beginning of 2021 as well as the outlook for the year 2021. Based…

The study explores the competitiveness of the engineering industries in the EU against its major competitors USA, Japan, South Korea and the BRICs countries. It compares regulatory frameworks of EU and major third country competitors in the field of engineering industries. Furthermore,…

KMU Forschung Austria provided its scientific expertise in a needs assessment among the members of mica (music austria) and thus supported the preparation of questionnaires, analyses and the presentation of the results. More information can be found here.

The study examines the way in which businesses in the crafts and trades sector are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, i.e. the degree of the drop in sales, the effects on the earnings situation of the individual trades and the uptake of…

The brochure covers the main indicators of the Austrian construction industry. It includes balance sheet figures, forecasts on construction volume, company and employment structure, turnover, production value and gross value added.

The aim of the project is to develop an informed knowledge basis with regard to digitisation for all ACR member institutes. Building on the knowledge acquired a low-threshold sector-specific service for SMEs will be developed and tested in order to advance the…

The Data Sheet on Creative Industries provides the most recent data on the Austrian creative industries each year. Figures, tables and short textual descriptions illustrate the relevance of the creative industries in direct and indirect terms. This includes the analysis of the…

The successor study is based on the results of 2016 and analyses the changes in administrative burdens since that time. The administrative burdens index allows for a monitoring of the administrative burdens for trades and crafts in Lower Austria over a specific…

This analysis shows annual facts and figures on the situation and development in the food industry. The data are broken down by occupational groups. Both the latest available current figures and the development over time are presented.

The night economy deals with the economic activity that takes place when people go out in the evening after their daily work, education or other activities. This includes in particular visiting bars, clubs, discotheques, clubbings and other events. The study examines the…

The study aims at providing players within the Austria RTI policy landscape with a decision basis for their future advancement of the portfolio of funding programmes. In particular, the study identifies players within the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in science, business…

The business cycle report 2019 shows the economic development of the companies of the division Information and Consulting for 2018 and the outlook for 2019, based on secondary statistical data and the response from around 2,100 enterprises. The number of enterprises and employees,…

This survey comprises the quarterly presentation of the economic and business cycle situation and the development of ten industries from the Austrian construction-related trade: stonemasonry, roof covering, glazing, tinsmith, pottery, painting, carpentry, building completion, timber construction and floor covering. The business cycle indicators…

Austria's lakes and rivers provide excellent conditions for water sports of all kinds. They include "classic" leisure activities on and in the water such as sailing, diving, water skiing, canoeing or windsurfing. Additionally, the development of new trend sports is progressing rapidly.…

The 8th Report on Austrian Creative Industries includes the economic development of creative industries and the importance of this sector for the Austrian economy. The report further focusses the internationalsation of creative industries and provides export rates as well as motivations and…

The study analyses the effects of digitalisation and industry 4.0 on the economy on Lower Austria. The focus is on the changes with regard to (levels of) qualifications and professions that will be of special relevance in a digital economy. It will…

Austrian Institute for SME Research results of the business cycle survey on retail trade 2018 (available only in German)

The national framework conditions are of high importance to maintain and strengthen the competitiveness of enterprises in an increasingly globalised and digitised economy. Against this background the study analyses, if the current framework conditions in Austria promote or hinder competitiveness of Austrian…

This study aims to improve the economic and policy knowledge of sport-related industries, especially in the sporting goods sector. Besides an overview of the sport-related industries, it includes a definition of the sporting goods sector, a collection of economic data (based on…

The dynamic development in online retailing has continued in recent years. More and more consumers shop via the Internet and the number of online shops from Austrian retailers increases constantly. The Austrian Institute for SME Research carried out the study “Online Retailing 2018” on behalf…

The Austrian Entrepreneurial Index (AEI) combines different aspects of self-employment and measures the satisfaction of entrepreneurs in an overall index consisting of 6 sub-indices with 35 sub-areas. First surveyed in a large-scale company survey in 2015, the satisfaction of around 480 retailers…

This study aims to develop an up-to-date inventory of the ICT sector in Vienna and to identify opportunities to advance the region to an “innovation leader”. Methodologically, the study is based on analyses of secondary statistics, a company survey, expert interviews and…

This project develops scenarios and models regarding the perspectives of the Austrian trades and crafts sector and recommendations for stakeholders deriving economic and social policies. The Basis is the categorisation of the sections according to the development trends during the last 10 years…

The 7th Austrian report on creative industries presents the economic development of creative industries and the importance of this sector for the Austrian economy, especially with regard to networked structures and links to other economic sectors along the entire value chain. The…

Apart from the positive development of overnight stays the study focusses on the sustainable competitiveness of hotels and tourism in general. It provides a comparison of the main tax frame conditions with tourism in the relevant neighbour countries and regions as well…

In the Vienna Creative Industries Report 2017, the economic development of the creative industries and their significance for the Vienna are presented in a time comparison as well as regarding the differences to other Austrian regions. The potential of the Viennese creative…

This analysis of the financing structure and income situation is based on about 8,000 balance sheets and 3,500 income statements of companies from the information and Consulting sector. In addition to the asset and capital structure, the cost and performance structure, business key…

This study aims at the identification and quantification of administrative burdens: Which are the recurring legal obligations that are regarded as burdens by the entrepreneurs in the trades and craft sector in Lower Austria? What is the time requirement the enterprises expect…

This study focusses on the analysis of the competitiveness and economic relevance of the European cultural and creative industries (CCI). It includes an overview of the most important indicators regarding the economic situation of European creative industries and analyses of the necessary…

In this study PIAAC-data concerning ICT-competences are analysed. Research activities and labour market concepts in Austria and selected countries (Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden and UK) are described. Furthermore, international labour market programmes and initiatives (good practices) to ameliorate these competences in Germany…

In recent years, creative industries have established themselves as an important economic sector in Austria. What is more, the Austrian and Styrian economies have developed more dynamically than the economy as a whole. This study builds on the study "Creative Industries Styria…

The analysis by KMU Forschung Austria includes the industry structure and economic significance of the industry, the business situation and central developments of the past years. From this, future challenges and success potentials of the companies are derived, on the basis of…

Manufacturing processes and transport of building materials are energy-intensive and cause high CO2 emissions. In addition, many building materials pose a health and disposal problem due to their content of disruptive and harmful substances. Regionally available clay can replace conventional materials if…

The 12th edition of the “E-Commerce-Study Austria 2021” analyses the shopping behaviour of the Austrian population regarding classic mail-order business as well as internet retail-trade. The main indicators are the number of Austrians, who buy via distance selling, expenditures and the development…

The aim of the project is to ascertain the status quo of foreign activities, the main determining factors and opportunities, as well as the requirements of Austrian management consultants. This is done on the basis of an online survey and serves as…

Structural change in the stationary retail sector has left clear traces in recent years: The number of retail stores has declined, and concentration trends have increased. The sector mix has changed: Certain sectors are losing significant commercial space (e.g. clothing retail), while…

The 11th edition of the “E-Commerce-Report Austria 2020” analyses the shopping behaviour of the Austrian population regarding classic mail-order business as well as internet retail-trade. The main indicators are the number of Austrians, who buy via distance selling, expenditures and the development…

Austrian Institute for SME Research results of the business cycle survey on retail trade 2018 (available only in German)

The analysis of the economic situation in the Austrian retail sector carried out on behalf of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber - Retail Commerce shows a deterioration in earnings and an improvement in the financial situation for the current financial year 2017/18.

The structural analysis of stationary retail trade in Austria carried out annually on behalf of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber - Division Commerce shows a provisional halt to structural change for the analysis year 2018. Both the number of shops and the…

The 10th study on consumer behaviour in distance selling commissioned by the Austrian Handelsverband confirms the trends of recent years. Both the number of buyers and the expenditure in distance selling continue to rise in the current analysis period 2019 (May 2018…

The trade calculator has been developed as a free online tool for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in trade, that allows companies to anonymously analyze their own annual financial statements simply and clearly and compare it with industry averages for SMEs. The evaluations…

The Industry Monitor provides a quarterly basis for assessing the economic development of almost 60 sectors and enables an assessment of future trends. The detailed and comprehensive reports at industry level provide information on current developments (legal framework, demand, competition, preliminary work…