Initial situation
The factor "labor" plays a key role in agriculture in addition to other production factors such as the capital employed or land from a business management perspective. Labour input in agriculture is gradually decreasing, particularly as a result of technological progress (mechanization) and structural change (smaller farms with higher labour requirements per unit produced). Calculations by the Federal Institute for Agricultural Economics show that labor input in agriculture has decreased in recent years. A systematic survey of working time requirements in Austria was last published in 2006 by the former Federal Institute of Alpine Agriculture in Gumpenstein and the former Federal Institute of Agricultural Engineering in Wieselburg (Standardarbeitszeitbedarf in der österreichischen Landwirtschaft, Ergebnis der Berechnung der einzelbetrieblichen Standardarbeitszeiten: Handler, Stadler u. Blumauer 2006).
Objective
The aim of this project is to revise the standard working hours in Austrian agriculture.To this end, a web-based database is to be set up for the ongoing updating and future use of standard working hours in conjunction with other administrative data sets.In addition to the standard working hours for internal and external economy, the focus will also be on the collection of times for organizational work (working time for operational management).
Status of the project
Status November 2023: The study design, the working time recording system and the model functions were developed by the project participants of the HBLFA Francisco Josephinum Wieselburg and the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein.Based on the recording system, an application (time recording app) was programmed by the BAB, which enables working time recording on the farms.The necessary server resources for storing and managing the working time data of the participating companies were organized and set up. Comprehensive testing of the functionality of the application itself (excluding offline mode) has been completed. In 2023, work was carried out on the integration and testing of the offline mode.
Work 2023
Due to unforeseeable developments (resignation of the persons responsible for the project, crisis-related focus of the Ministry on other projects, staff shortages at the participating institutions), the project work planned for 2023 could only be partially implemented.
In consultation with the institutions involved (HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, HBLFA Francisco Josephinum Wieselburg), it became clear that the full and necessary personnel resources to implement the project will not be available in 2024 due to the ongoing tense personnel situation (including the departure and unresolved questions regarding the replacement of employees in Gumpenstein).
On the other hand, there is a fundamental need, not least due to technological progress, to update the standard working hours in agriculture, for example with regard to the orientation of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027 or to improve the data basis of various calculations and applications (e.g. Internet coverage contribution calculator of the BAB etc.). Therefore, after consultation with the BML as the client, it was agreed to use the year 2024 to clarify a possible relaunch of the project in the following year. This includes a reorientation and reassessment of the project both in terms of organization (project management, project cooperation) and content (including a review of the original objectives). Based on the knowledge gained in 2024, a decision will be made in consultation with the BML, the new management of the BAB and the two participating institutions (HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, HBLFA Francisco Josephinum Wieselburg) as to whether the project should be implemented in 2025.
Timetable
Project start: 04/2020
Project end: 12/2026
Schedule
Projektbeginn: 04/2020
Projektende: 03/2024
