Austria has traditionally had close links with Eastern Europe, and has attracted significant numbers of companies from the region since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Approximately 67% of the Austrian workforce is employed in the country's service sector, although industry accounts for around 27% of the workforce, and agriculture the remainder.
As might be expected from a country with such a developed service sector, the standard is high, and the workforce generally well educated. The Vienna Stock Exchange showed a return to form in 2012 after a poor performance in the two years preceding, with the leading index, the...