UPPER AUSTRIA / LINZ. In 2019, the per capita productivity exceeded the expenditure for employees in the medium-sized and large companies examined by around 30,000 euros, as the current AK value creation barometer shows. Also the result of the investigation: Despite short-time working, one sixth of the companies decided to distribute profits in 2020. AK Upper Austria President Johann Kalliauer criticizes.
Every year AK Oberösterreich analyzes the published annual financial statements of medium-sized and large corporations in Austria and uses them to calculate the “value creation barometer”. This examines the added value per employee and compares it with the per capita personnel expenses. Since the annual financial statements only have to be published in the course of the next year, the figures are currently available for 2019 – the last year before the Corona crisis. “At the beginning of the pandemic, they were oö. Company well positioned ”, sums up AK Upper Austria President Johann Kalliauer from the available figures.
Over 93,000 euros added value per employee
In Upper Austria, 724 companies with 200,522 employees – this corresponds to almost 30 percent of all employees in Upper Austria – were examined. On average, each employee was able to generate per capita added value of around EUR 93,695 in 2019. Compared to 2018, this value has decreased slightly by around 0.7 percent, but was around 2.9 percent higher than in 2017.
In 2019, per capita productivity exceeded per capita personnel expenses – to the benefit of companies – by an average of around 30,474 euros. From 2017 to 2019, this value decreased slightly by 1.1 percent in the 724 companies examined.
Criticism of payouts
He criticizes the decisions made during the crisis to pay out winnings: In Upper Austria 2020 126 of the companies examined, and thus roughly every sixth, a distribution of the previous year’s profit to the owners despite an application for short-time work decided. “Although it is legally permissible to distribute one in spite of short-time work, it has a hugely crooked look.”
Overall, the medium-sized and large companies examined made distributions amounting to around 11.9 percent of their equity. Interest on the capital employed is “self-evident”, but this also applies to the work performed. However, there is often no corresponding increase in the salary for employees. “I just want to point out the disproportion.”
Investments increased
On the other hand, it is positive that the average capital expenditure in the Austrian companies examined increased significantly in 2019. “This is important not only for competitiveness, but also for maintaining jobs.” In 2019, capital expenditures per employee averaged EUR 16,185, the highest value for ten years and a nominal 36.6 percent above the value of the Year 2009. “We came to the conclusion that this was mainly the case with large companies,” said Reinhard Brachinger from the competence center for corporate interest representation at AK Upper Austria.
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