ÖGB says Closing Austria's Gender Pay Gap Could Add €9 bn to State Treasury

The Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) released an analysis estimating that eliminating the unadjusted gender‑pay gap – which currently stands at about 16 % per work hour – would generate roughly €9 billion in additional tax and social‑security contributions each year. In this scenario, women would see an average net wage increase of €366 per month. A second, more conservative scenario that isolates the gap not explained by factors such as sector, occupation or age predicts €5.4 billion in extra state revenue and a €221 monthly net gain for women, representing a 10.2 % rise.

ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian emphasized that “fair pay benefits everyone” and called for full implementation of the EU pay‑transparency directive, which Austria has yet to meet ahead of the 7 June 2026 deadline. The analysis urges addressing structural causes of the wage gap, not merely equal pay for equal work.