Innovation - Employment - Wealth

During the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Styria was one of the first areas to industrialize. Even at that time the Styrian industry had a clear focus on sectors that are still producing on an internationally recognized level. These areas include metal production, manufacturing, machine engineering, as well as paper and paperboard manufacturing. Since then Styria was able to achieve market leadership in only recently developed sectors, such as vehicle manufacturing, microelectronics and electro-technology. With a strong focus on innovation and equipped with an entrepreneurial spirit, Styria further expanded its expertise in the advancement of the already flourishing sectors, but also laid the foundation  for seminal industries, such as biocatalysis in medical engineering or other nanostructure materials.

Today, the producing sector generates 34 percent of the Styrian added value, 27 percent of which is accounted for by the core industrial sector. The further secondary sector covers coal mining, the building industry and energy production and accounts for the other 7 percent. The so-called "industrial network" - operating around the manufacturing sector - benefits from industry's accomplishments. Many of these companies generate a large part of their revenue in the industrial core area and are linked to the production process as well as pre- and postproduction sectors (e.g. logistics).

Styria‘s € 40.2 billion GDP (gross domestic product) consists of …

One-third of employees, more precise 116.500 people in Styria work in the manufacturing sector. More than half of Styrian jobs depend directly or indirectly on the industrial sector. Therefore, industry is Styria's job engine and the area most responsible for Styria's positive employment market data.  2.815 apprentices are provided with training within the sector. In 2018, 850 new apprentices got the opportunity to learn one of 100 different professions. The future of our region lies in the promotion of technology, research and innovation. Styria has the highest R&D spending in the European Union. Styrian companies invest more than € 1.7 billion in research and development, which amounts to 75 percent of the R&D expenditures in Styria. The R&D spending as a percentage of the gross regional product amounts to 5,12 percent. Cooperation between many innovative companies, five universities, two alliances of applied science universities and the biggest share of Austrian competence centers make Styria the innovation frontrunner.