Seasonal work in Austria: Alpine resorts, lakes and farm harvests

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What does a season in Austria involve?

Alpine tourism drives the Austrian seasonal labour market. Hotels, mountain restaurants, ski lifts and ski schools hire heavily before winter, while lakes and cities create a second wave of demand from May to October, when summer visitors arrive for hiking, swimming and city breaks.

Agriculture is the second pillar. The Marchfeld and Seewinkel grow asparagus and vegetables, Styria leads apple and elderberry production, the Wachau is famous for apricots, and vineyards in Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria and Vienna need pickers every autumn during the grape harvest.

Which regions hire the most?

In winter, Tyrol (Zillertal, Ötztal, Paznaun, Kitzbühel, Arlberg), Salzburg province (Saalbach, Obertauern, Gastein, Zell am See-Kaprun), Vorarlberg (Lech, Montafon) and Styria around Schladming account for most hotel and restaurant vacancies, often with staff accommodation included in the package.

In summer, demand shifts to the Carinthian lakes (Wörthersee, Millstätter See, Ossiacher See), the Salzkammergut, Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Farms in Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria recruit between April and November, depending on which crops they grow and when they ripen.

When do the seasons run?

The winter season usually runs from early December to Easter, peaking between Christmas and February; most contracts are signed in September and October. The summer season lasts from May or June until late September, sometimes October around the lakes and in the valleys.

On farms, asparagus is cut from April to June, strawberries ripen in May and June, apricots in July, Styrian apples from August to October, and grapes are picked mainly from September to late October, with the exact dates changing every vintage.

Which jobs are on offer?

The most common adverts are for waiters, commis and cooks, kitchen porters, room attendants, receptionists, bartenders, lift staff, ski instructors, fruit pickers and grape pickers. German is usually required front of house and at reception, less so in the kitchen or in the fields.

Who is allowed to work seasonally in Austria?

Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland enjoy free movement and need no work permit. The employer must register them with the ÖGK health insurance fund before the first working day, and they must register their address with the municipality after arrival.

How does the Saisonkontingent work?

Third-country nationals go through the seasonal quota set each year by regulation. For 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026, tourism has 5,500 basic places plus a separate 2,500 places reserved for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

The employer applies to the AMS for a Beschäftigungsbewilligung, at the earliest six weeks before work starts. It is granted for up to six months and can be extended to nine months within twelve, subject to a labour-market test, suitable housing and collective-agreement pay.

What is a Stammsaisonier?

A worker employed under the quota for at least three months a year in at least three of the previous five calendar years can register with the AMS as a Stammsaisonier, or regular seasonal worker, and then receive permits outside the quota without a labour-market test.

Which visa is needed?

Once the AMS permit exists, the worker applies in person at an Austrian embassy or consulate for a D visa for stays over 90 days, or a Schengen C visa for shorter stays. Work may only start after the visa is issued, and there is no family reunification.

What are pay and working conditions like?

Austria has no general statutory minimum wage; collective agreements (Kollektivverträge) set the minimums. In hotels and restaurants, the scales valid from 1 October 2026 give 2,096.50 euros gross a month to an entry-level helper in group 5 and 2,153 euros in group 4.

A qualified cook or waiter in group 3 earns, for example, 2,232 euros in Salzburg and 2,304 euros in Upper Austria, while a salaried receptionist receives 2,226 to 2,330 euros depending on the province. A 13th and 14th salary are added pro rata.

Hours and contracts

Seasonal contracts are fixed-term and begin with a one-month probation period. The hospitality agreement is based on a 40-hour week; overtime is paid with a supplement, and night, Sunday and public-holiday supplements must be shown on the payslip every month.

Agriculture has separate agreements in each province. In Styria, the 2025 farm-workers agreement set 1,864.73 euros gross a month for unskilled farm hands and 10.76 euros an hour for casual day labourers, plus 13th and 14th salaries paid on top.

Is accommodation provided?

Most resort hotels offer board and lodging (Kost und Logis), often in shared rooms. Deductions must stay within the official benefit-in-kind values; on Styrian farms, full board and lodging was valued at 196.20 euros a month in 2025, a useful benchmark for comparing offers.

Typical costs and documents

How to find and secure a seasonal job in Austria

1. Choose the season and region, and check your status: EU or EEA citizen, or third-country national.
2. Prepare a German-language CV (Lebenslauf) with photo, languages and verifiable references.
3. Search the AMS alle jobs engine, the eJob-Room and specialist hospitality job boards.
4. Apply from September for winter and from February or March for summer and harvest work.
5. Insist on a written contract stating pay group, hours, housing and any deduction.
6. Third-country nationals wait for the AMS permit, then file the visa application in person.
7. On arrival, confirm ÖGK registration and register your address within three days.

Mistakes and scams to avoid

• Paying an agent for a contract or visa: the permit is free and requested by the employer.
• Accepting pay below the collective agreement or cash day rates without a payslip.
• Starting work before ÖGK registration or before the visa has been issued.
• Signing without knowing how much is deducted for board and lodging.
• Leaving without claiming pro-rata 13th and 14th salaries and unused leave.

Frequently asked questions

The answers below cover the points that international applicants raise most often, whether they hold an EU passport or come from a third country. They do not replace the official texts, which are updated every season and should always be checked before travelling.

Do I need to speak German?

Not always. In the kitchen, housekeeping or the fields, basic German is often enough. Front of house, at the bar and at reception, fluent German is usually required, while English is valued in international resorts such as Ischgl, Sölden or Saalbach.

Can students do a summer season?

Yes, if they are EU citizens and adults for most hospitality roles; summer contracts often run from June to September. Third-country students remain subject to the quota unless a specific arrangement, such as a working holiday agreement, applies to their nationality.

Can I change employer mid-season?

An EU citizen can resign by respecting the notice period and sign elsewhere. For a third-country national, the permit is tied to the employer, so a change requires a new Beschäftigungsbewilligung applied for by the new employer with the AMS before starting.

Is pay the same across Austria?

No. Hotel groups 4 and 5 are uniform nationwide, but skilled positions vary by province, and Vienna has separate scales for hotels and for restaurants and coffee houses. In farming, each province negotiates its own collective agreement with different rates.