An EU-funded initiative is helping Austrian manufacturers rethink workplace culture, with new training, coaching and equality measures showing how industry can close gender gaps from the shop floor up.
In Kapfenberg, the industrial manufacturer BHDT is one of several Austrian companies taking part in FairPlusService, a free coaching programme funded by the European Social Fund+ to boost gender equality on the shop floor.
The scheme helps women gain qualifications, supports managers in improving communication and training, and strengthens work–life balance policies. Staff say flexible hours and a more inclusive culture are already encouraging more women into technical roles.
With ESF+ investing €2.1 billion in gender equality initiatives in the workplace across the EU, Austria’s model aims to redefine what quality jobs look like.
Furthering this mission, the Quality Jobs Roadmap acts as a vital guide for EU Member States to secure better jobs. It focuses on the psychological climate and health and safety, such as protecting those working in high heat, while ensuring that humans remain central as new technologies like AI and digitalization transform the shop floor explains Ivailo Kalfin, executive director of Eurofound.