Vienna, Innsbruck – “Even if there is another lockdown in spring, the growth prospects are better because the second half of the year will simply be better,” said the new Labor Minister Martin Kocher at the virtual New Year’s reception of the “Club Tirol” business club on Monday evening the economic development of the country this year.

Kocher was originally invited as head of the economic research institute IHS to give an outlook on the economic development in 2021. Despite being sworn in as the new labor minister at short notice, he accepted the invitation from the Tyrolean Club in Vienna.

Kocher and the IHS expect economic growth of 3.1 percent for this year. “It will be decisive if we get the pandemic under control with the vaccinations from May and then easing is possible – then a lot can be caught up,” said the Minister of Labor in front of around 100 club members.

Kocher also locates numerous possible problems: “I fear that there will be a catch-up effect in some sectors, such as tourism, after the pandemic and that economically healthy companies could be pushed out of the market.”

Meanwhile, there is further praise for Kocher’s appointment as the new labor minister. Kocher, who as a professor also held a number of courses at the MCI and at the University of Innsbruck, is “a professional and a direct hit for the country,” says MCI Rector Andreas Altmann. Altmann emphasized that he was “surprised by the fact that the previous IHS boss moved quickly into politics, but very positive that he was doing it”. He has known the Neo-Minister for many years as a highly intelligent specialist who, in addition to financial and economic knowledge, also has a high level of social competence. The native of Salzburg is also practically Tyrolean by choice, and with his move to the government, the entire west of Austria will be politically strengthened in any case. (corner, va)