Long-term Trends of Level and Structure of Family Benefits in Austria

Family benefits in Austria, as a percentage of GDP, slightly exceed the OECD average. Monetary benefits largely dominate benefits in kind, although their share has decreased markedly since 2000. At the same time, several reforms within the monetary benefit system have encouraged fathers' involvement...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben
Link(s) zu Dokument(en):WIFO Publikation
Veröffentlicht in:WIFO Bulletin
1. Verfasser: Margit Schratzenstaller
Format: article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: 2018
Schlagworte:
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Family benefits in Austria, as a percentage of GDP, slightly exceed the OECD average. Monetary benefits largely dominate benefits in kind, although their share has decreased markedly since 2000. At the same time, several reforms within the monetary benefit system have encouraged fathers' involvement and improved the reconciliation of work and family for both parents. Austrian family benefits, in a narrower definition, have increased from 6.6 billion € in 2000 to nearly 10.3 billion € in 2016. At a ratio of 2.9 percent of GDP in 2016, family benefits have edged down from 3.1 percent in 2000 and have virtually stagnated since 2006. Since the population up to age 19 is in secular decline, per-capita family benefits follow a long-term upward trend, rising from 3,540 € per child in 2000 to almost 6,000 € nominal in 2016.