We’ve lived in our house for nearly ten years, but do you know what I’ve never experienced before? That my neighbor is home so much more often, even though we’ve had fairly good weather—typically the time when he leaves at 6:30 a.m. and doesn’t return until around 6:19 p.m. He works as an excavator operator on construction sites and has been home from early November through the end of April, collecting unemployment benefits—something that’s already very unusual. To me, this situation reflects the broader economic climate in Austria: who can still afford to build or renovate when rising costs are already making everyday life difficult? In all the years we’ve lived here, the effects of economic decline have never been so obvious—when even an excavator operator has less work than usual, how are other sectors in construction faring? The only real source of employment right now seems to be the government, with its bridge repairs and other public projects. Am I imagining this, or does anyone else notice it too?