We are pleased to announce that our 2022 report on “Headquarters Landscape in Austria: An Overview” is out now. The report is available both in English (Headquarters Landscape in Austria: An Overview) and in German (Die Landschaft von Firmenzentralen in Österreich: Ein Überblick).

The study was conducted by The HiA team & partners in collaboration with eXplore!, the Austrian Business Agency (ABA), the Vienna Business Agency, and Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB). The report provides interesting insights on the Austrian headquarters (HQ) landscape.

Thanks to its geographic position at the heart of Europe, its life standards, and the high quality of its infrastructure and institutions, Austria is an important HQ location in Europe. The Austrian economy depends on HQs, since HQs create for example employment opportunities for highly qualified personnel, thus yielding personal and tax income. Moreover, the relatively high tax and labor costs in Austria will likely lead to increased offshoring of low-value added activities, thus increasing the country’s dependence on high-value added activities (such as HQ activities). Despite HQs’ importance for the local economy, there is, to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive overview on the Austrian HQ landscape.

Therefore, we decided to conduct an exploratory study on the HQ landscape in Austria, considering both corporate and intermediary HQs from domestic and international multinational corporations. In total, we identified 1,439 HQs in Austria, confirming the attractiveness of the country for HQs. Here are some of the key findings from the study:

• Austria is an attractive location for HQs: With 1,439 HQs, Austria confirms its attractiveness for corporate and intermediary HQs of domestic and international multinational corporations.

• HQs in Austria operate in a broad variety of industries: The distribution of HQs among sectors shows a high industry diversification, with the manufacturing sector occupying the first position (25.3%), followed by the wholesale and retail trade sector (19%) and the services industry (18.2%).

• Austria offers a privileged point of access for multinational corporations which want to expand into Eastern Europe and into the DACH region: Germany and Eastern European countries (e.g., Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia) are the favorite destinations for the subsidiaries of HQs based in Austria

• Large corporations from all over the world choose Austria for their intermediary HQs: More than two thirds of the HQs in Austria are intermediary HQs, with responsibility over a specific product or over a specific region (e.g., CEE). Austria is particularly popular as location for the HQs among German-speaking, French, and British multinational corporations, but it is also frequently chosen as the European HQ-location from US, Japanese, and Chinese firms, among others.

• The Austrian HQ landscape is dominated by HQs of small and medium size: The population of HQs in Austria is characterized by several small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as a strong presence of intermediary HQs. However, this relatively small HQ size is counterbalanced by the presence of a few large HQs from big international groups.

• Vienna is the heart of the Austrian HQ economy: Vienna constitutes the biggest HQ hub in Austria, accounting for 39.5% of the overall population. Following Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Styria are the most important regions for HQs.

If you would like to find out more about the HQ landscape in Austria, download our free report “Headquarters Landscape in Austria: An Overview” in English (Headquarters Landscape in Austria) and in German (Die Landschaft von Firmenzentralen in Österreich: Ein Überblick).

Connected to this study, we are happy to welcome you at our event “Wie attraktiv ist Österreich als Standort für Firmenzentralen?” on Tuesday, May 17^th. You can find more information about the event and guest speakers as well as the direct link to the event registration here.

The event is organized and offered by the HiA team & partners in collaboration with eXplore!, the Austrian Business Agency (ABA), the Vienna Business Agency, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB), and the Competence Center for Emerging Markets & Central and Eastern Europe at the WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.