Compensation of High Economic Losses. Economic Outlook for 2020 to 2022

In the summer of 2020, economic recovery in Austria was extraordinarily strong, even by international standards. The second lockdown depresses economic activity again in 2020, but – since industry is less affected – by less than the first. Overall, real GDP fell by 7.3 percent in 2020 and unemployment rose by one-third despite the use of COVID-19 short-time work. Without a further lockdown ("no policy change"), GDP is expected to grow by 4.5 percent in 2021; and by 2.5 percent with a third lockdown. Upcoming winter tourism in particular will be severely curtailed due to the ongoing travel warnings, or even fully cancelled. Only in the warmer season and with the vaccination coverage of the population can social and economic activities return to normal. In any case, unemployment will remain above the pre-crisis level in 2022.