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Austria: why confirm a former employee's job?

Every Austrian employer must, on request, give a departing employee a written reference on the length and kind of the work. Confirming the same facts takes a minute and helps the person into their next job. certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent.

Law as of 26 October 2026 · Angestelltengesetz (AngG), § 39, and Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (ABGB), § 1163, consolidated federal law on RIS as of 26 October 2026

In short

  • The facts are already on paper. When employment ends, every employer must, on request, give the employee a written reference (Dienstzeugnis) on the length and kind of the work (AngG § 39, ABGB § 1163). Those are the facts we ask about.
  • It helps the person who worked for you. Both provisions forbid anything in the reference that makes it harder to find a new position, and a record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
  • certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The Data Protection Act lets personal data be used with the consent of the person concerned (DSG § 1(2)), and the GDPR makes consent a legal basis. The person started this check themselves, for these facts and no others.
  • You do not have to answer. No Austrian law obliges an employer to answer certo. Declining is fine.

The employment reference

The Salaried Employees Act (AngG) for salaried employees and the General Civil Code (ABGB) for every other employee, quoted from the consolidated federal law on RIS.

AngG § 39(1): the reference for salaried employees

Der Dienstgeber ist verpflichtet, bei Beendigung des Dienstverhältnisses dem Angestellten auf Verlangen ein schriftliches Zeugnis über die Dauer und die Art der Dienstleistung auszustellen. Eintragungen und Anmerkungen im Zeugnisse, durch die dem Angestellten die Erlangung einer neuen Stelle erschwert wird, sind unzulässig.

In English: when the employment ends, the employer must, on request, give the salaried employee a written reference on the length and kind of the service. Entries and remarks in the reference that make it harder for the employee to find a new position are not permitted.

ABGB § 1163(1): the same for every other employee

Bei Beendigung des Dienstverhältnisses ist dem Dienstnehmer auf sein Verlangen ein schriftliches Zeugnis über die Dauer und Art der Dienstleistung auszustellen.

In English: when the employment ends, the employee must, on request, be given a written reference on the length and kind of the service. The same paragraph forbids entries and remarks that make it harder to find a new position.

Both name exactly the facts we ask about, the dates and the kind of work, so your records already hold them. And both forbid remarks that harm the person's chances: certo's page leaves no room for any. You tick a listed fact or leave it, and add nothing.

What is never asked

We found no provision of Austrian employment law that lists the questions an employer may not put to a job applicant. certo never asks you about health, family, beliefs, pay, performance, the reason for leaving or a criminal record.

Personal data

The GDPR applies directly in Austria; the Data Protection Act (DSG) supplements it. Its § 1 is a constitutional provision, the fundamental right to data protection.

DSG § 1(2): consent

Soweit die Verwendung von personenbezogenen Daten nicht im lebenswichtigen Interesse des Betroffenen oder mit seiner Zustimmung erfolgt, sind Beschränkungen des Anspruchs auf Geheimhaltung nur zur Wahrung überwiegender berechtigter Interessen eines anderen zulässig …

In English: where personal data is not used in the vital interest of the person concerned or with their consent, their right to secrecy may be restricted only to protect the overriding legitimate interests of another. Here the person consented.

  • Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, consent. The legal basis for your answer.
  • Art. 7(1) GDPR, proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
  • Art. 5(1)(c) GDPR, data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent.

What this means for your answer

  • Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
  • Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
  • Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.

Sources

This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.