Career
Parental Part-Time Work in Austria: Requirements, Rights, and Application
- Parental Part-Time Work
- Labor Law
- Family-Friendliness
Parental part-time work in Austria allows parents to manage professional obligations more flexibly and better coordinate family life. Legally regulated, it offers both rights and security measures for employees.
What is Parental Part-Time Work?
Parental part-time work in Austria enables employees to reduce or adjust their working hours to better balance family and work. This regulation is specifically designed to support parents following the birth or adoption of a child.
Requirements for Parental Part-Time Work
To claim parental part-time work, certain requirements must be met. The employer's company must regularly employ more than 20 staff members. In addition, the employment relationship must have existed continuously for at least three years at the time of commencement.
- Company size: more than 20 staff members
- Duration of employment: at least three years
- Reduction of working hours by at least 20%
- Household or custody of the child
Duration and Start of Parental Part-Time Work
Parental part-time work can be taken for a maximum of seven years, up until the child's 8th birthday. The earliest start is possible at the end of maternity leave.
How to Apply for Parental Part-Time Work?
Parental part-time work must be requested in writing and in good time with the employer. If planned to start immediately after maternity leave, notification should be done by the end of the protection period at the latest. If the start is later, a three-month notice period must be observed.
Rights During Parental Part-Time Work
During parental part-time work, parents enjoy special protection against dismissal, which begins at the earliest four months before the planned start and typically lasts until four weeks after the child's 4th birthday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Eligible are parents whose employment relationship has lasted at least three years and who work in a company with more than 20 employees.
Protection against dismissal begins at the earliest four months before the start of part-time work and lasts up to four weeks after the child's 4th birthday.
Changes can be requested by either party once, but the legal and contractual situation must be taken into account.
Yes, it is possible for both parents to take parental part-time work simultaneously to better organize child care.
This post was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed.
Sources
This article provides an overview to the best of our knowledge (as of July 2026) and does not replace legal advice. Binding information on labor law and collective agreements is provided by the Chamber of Labor and the relevant union.
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