EGF set to help former AT&S workers in Austria

The EUR 9'506'036 requested by the Austrian authorities will help 356 former workers in basic metal enterprises and 74 redundant workers from a PCB manufacturer to find new jobs. One of the Austrian applications relates to 167 redundancies at AT&S. The production of PCBs in Europe has for some time been transferring to low-wage economies, mainly in Asia and more specifically in China, where almost three quarters of the world's PCB volume is now produced. Following the drop in demand for circuit boards (- 40 % in the business year 2008/2009 as compared to the previous year), AT&S decided to transfer its entire PCB mass production from Leoben to Shanghai. The 167 redundancies are part of a longer chain of redundancies at AT&S Leoben, a total of 603 dismissals over 13½ months. The package of EGF assistance for the former workers of AT&S will help 74 of the most disadvantaged, offering them measures like active job search assistance, various options for training and the necessary allowances. The total estimated cost of the package is almost EUR 1.9 million, of which the European Union has been asked to provide EGF assistance amounting to EUR 1.2 million.