employee - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1991 - 4.50 Shilling

The history of textile production goes back many millennia. It began with the weaving technique and hand weaving, until around 1000 AD. a dynamic change by the invention of the shaft weaving and the kick loom began. These first mechanical supports in the manufacture of textile products and the advent of the spinning wheel ushered in a first phase of mass production in this area. Crucial for the development of this industry, however, were the technical innovations at the beginning of the 18th century, especially the invention of the spinning machine in England and the large-scale import of cotton. The industrial development in textile production has brought many social problems as a result of automation and ever increasing competition. The number of jobs in the Austrian textile industry, for example, has halved over the past twenty years, with about the same productivity.