Although the industry sector contributes 32.3% (2009 est.) of the GDP, in reality, it possesses higher potential. Austria is the world’s largest producer of magnesite and considerable amounts of lignite, wolfram, antimony, graphite, dolomite, salt, quartz, gypsum and kaolin are also found in the nation. Therefore, a slight shift in focus can help the country increase its productivity by a huge margin. The Austrian industry sector employs 27.5% of the total work force. The companies are mostly small and privately owned. The few larger companies are state owned.
This is how the Austrian industry sector shares the work pool within itself:
The various industry segments are:
Construction
Machinery
Vehicles and parts
Food
Metals
Chemicals
Lumber and wood processing
Paper and paperboard
Communications equipment
Tourism
Production and related manufacturing accounts for a major portion of the GDP, followed by chemical and food stuffs. In a nut shell, Austria’s industry sector has made a major transition from being a ‘rust belt’ industry to a more expansive one. With a little more focus on tapping the natural resources, the country can grow at a higher rate.