Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt

What Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt does

Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt (FORBA), also operating under the English name Working Life Research Centre, is an independent Vienna-based social science research institute founded in 1989 with 11-50 employees. It conducts empirical research on work, employment, labour markets, industrial relations, occupational health, gender, social protection, and the socio-ecological transformation of work, using mixed-method designs spanning qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, case studies, and comparative European analysis.

The institute monetises its work through two primary streams: competitive, grant-funded academic research from bodies such as the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), the Swiss National Science Fund (SNF), and European Commission programmes, and contract/policy-consultancy research commissioned by the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK Wien), Eurofound, trade unions such as GPA, social insurance institutions such as AUVA, and other public-sector or non-profit clients. Deliverables include research reports, peer-reviewed articles, monographs and edited volumes, a dedicated FORBA book series, and the co-produced Trendreport Arbeit, Bildung, Soziales publication (2013-2018). Beyond pure research, FORBA offers a portfolio of advisory services: technology and IT/data-security consulting for works councils, data-protection advisory for Betriebsrat work, methodological support for research processes, and women-oriented pension workshops.

FORBA serves as the Austrian national correspondent in three Eurofound observatory networks (EurWORK, EMCC, EurLIFE), typically in consortium with the University of Vienna's Institute of Sociology. It coordinates international projects such as COMBECA (with FHNW Switzerland) and TWING (six-country telework study), and has a visible 2024-2026 pipeline of commissions on socio-ecological transformation, including the voestalpine greentec steel study with IFES and an IMAGO-commissioned Europe-wide survey of cinematographers presented at the European Parliament in November 2025. The institute's structure is that of a non-profit, project-funded academic research entity rather than a venture-backed or publicly traded company.

Name

Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt

Legal name

Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt

Website

https://forba.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FORBA (Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt) is an independent Vienna-based social science research institute founded in 1989 that conducts empirical research on work, employment, and labour markets via grant-funded academic studies and commissioned policy consultancy for Austrian and European public-sector clients, trade unions, and social insurance institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant-funded academic research: Funded primarily through competitive research grants from Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Swiss National Science Fund (SNF), and European Commission programs for academic research projects
2. Contract and policy consultancy research: Research commissioned by clients including Austrian Labour Chamber (AK Wien), trade unions (GPA), and European organizations for applied policy research

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FORBA is an independent social science research institute that conducts empirical research on work, employment, labor markets, occupational health, and social policy in Austria and Europe. It delivers grant-funded academic research and commissioned policy consultancy studies, publishing findings as research reports, articles, books, and a dedicated book series, while also offering specialized consulting on technology design, IT/data security, works council data protection, research methodology, and women's pension planning.

Product overview

FORBA (Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt / Working Life Research Centre) is a Vienna-based independent social science research institute that does not offer a unified software product but rather provides a portfolio of research publications and consulting services. The core offering consists of Research Reports, Articles, Books, and the FORBA Book Series documenting empirical studies on labor markets, working conditions, and employment in Austria and Europe. Additionally, FORBA publishes the Trendreport Arbeit, Bildung, Soziales (2013-2018), a European comparison publication. On the consulting side, FORBA offers Technology Consulting, IT and Data Security consulting for employee co-determination, Data Protection services for Works Councils, Research Process Consulting, and Women-Oriented Pension Workshops. The organization functions primarily as an academic research institution and policy consultancy rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Reports (Forschungsberichte) Academic research reports documenting empirical studies on working life, labor markets, and employment conditions in Austria and Europe, produced by FORBA researchers.
• Articles (Artikel) Scientific articles published in journals addressing industrial relations, occupational health, and social policy topics.
• Books (Bücher) Monographs and edited volumes on labor market research, working conditions, and social transformation authored or edited by FORBA researchers.
• FORBA Book Series FORBA's own book series compiling results from research projects on current socially relevant topics in labor and employment.
• Trendreport Arbeit, Bildung, Soziales A cooperation publication series between FORBA, the University of Vienna's Department of Sociology, and the Austrian Society for European Politics providing European comparison reports on work, education, and social affairs.
• Technology Consulting (Technologieberatung) Consulting services addressing technology design and data protection in the workplace context, offered to organizations and employee representatives.
• IT and Data Security and Co-determination Consulting Consulting services on IT security, data protection, and employee co-determination rights related to technology implementation in the workplace.
• Data Protection in Works Council Work Consulting Specialized consulting on data protection regulations and practices for works councils, supporting employee representatives in their statutory roles.
• Research Process Consulting Methodological consulting and support for organizations conducting social science research projects.
• Women-Oriented Pension Workshops Educational workshops helping women understand and navigate the Austrian pension system to improve their retirement outcomes.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• IFES Institut für empirische SozialforschungmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Cooperation partner with FORBA in analyzing the socio-ecological transformation of voestalpine, conducting Betriebs- Branchen- und Umfeldanalyse (company, sector, and environment analysis) for the greentec steel project.
• IG24 - Interessengemeinschaft der 24h-Betreuer_innenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Cooperation with the interest group of 24-hour caregivers and University of Vienna's Institute of Sociology in a project to survey the working and living conditions of 24-hour caregivers in Austria, funded by the Digitalization Fund Arbeit 4.0 of AK Wien.
• NOTUS (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Project coordination partner in the TWING project examining the contribution of social dialogue and collective bargaining in promoting decent telework post-COVID, conducted across six countries.
• Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW) - University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Lead agency partner in the international COMBECA project (Combining Employment with Informal Care for the Aged), examining practices for reconciling employment and informal care for elderly relatives in Austria and Switzerland.
• University of Vienna (Department of Sociology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Long-standing cooperation partner in multiple Eurofound observatory networks and in the Trendreport Arbeit, Bildung, Soziales publication series, providing academic research infrastructure and expertise.
• Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik (ÖGfE)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partner in the Trendreport publication cooperation, bringing together European comparative data on work, education, and social affairs for Austrian audiences.
• Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFORBA serves as the national correspondent for Austria in Eurofound's European Observatory of Working Life (EurWORK), European Monitoring Centre on Change (EMCC), and European Observatory on Quality of Life (EurLIFE) networks, operating in consortium with the Institute of Sociology, University of Vienna.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IAB – Institute for Employment Research: Germany's largest labour-market research institute, part of the Federal Employment Agency. Operates broadly across labour, welfare, and migration research with a much larger headcount; competes with FORBA on EU-level labour research commissions and observatory work.
• WZB – Berlin Social Science Center: Large German social science research institute covering labour, inequality, migration, and democracy. Comparable to FORBA in academic-policy research model and EU project participation, but at substantially greater scale.
• WIFO – Austrian Institute of Economic Research: Vienna-based macro-economic research institute producing forecasts and applied studies for Austrian ministries, social partners, and EU bodies. Overlaps with FORBA in Austrian labour-market analysis but operates at significantly broader macroeconomic scope.

Regional players

• EUROMESCO: Euro-Mediterranean research network producing comparative studies on social and labour issues across European and neighbouring countries. Comparable to FORBA in comparative cross-country research design, though focused on Mediterranean rather than DACH region.

Others

• Eurofound: EU agency funding and operating the EurWORK, EMCC, and EurLIFE observatories. Not a competitor but the principal EU-level counterpart that contracts FORBA as national correspondent, shaping FORBA's mandate and research agenda.

Emerging players

• CEPS – Centre for European Policy Studies: Brussels-based think tank producing applied EU policy research across economic, social, and labour topics. Comparable to FORBA in policy-relevant research output and EU funding participation, with broader thematic coverage.

Direct peers

• ZSI – Centre for Social Innovation: Vienna-based social research institute working on work, technology, and societal transformation with EU project funding. Directly comparable to FORBA in interdisciplinary social-science research, EU consortia participation, and applied technology-and-work themes.
• ETUI – European Trade Union Institute: Brussels-based research and training arm of the European Trade Union Confederation, producing studies on industrial relations, working conditions, and labour law. Closely comparable to FORBA's union-commissioned research portfolio and EU observatory-style work.
• SORA Institute for Social Research and Consulting: Vienna-based social science research institute conducting survey-based social, labour-market, and policy research. Directly comparable to FORBA in scale, Austrian public-affairs client base, and mix of academic and commissioned research.
• IHS – Institute for Advanced Studies: Vienna-based economic and social research institute producing applied studies on labour, welfare, and education for Austrian and European policymakers. Comparable to FORBA in applied policy orientation, funding mix, and Austrian/European footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forbawien
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=qSM5DrqoPo4
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forba

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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