VIENNA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Almost 37 percent of Austrian artist earn less per month than the official poverty indicator of 893 euros (1321 U.S. dollars), Austrian daily Der Standard reported Friday.

    This is nearly three times the proportion of the Austrian population living below the poverty line, which is about 12.6 percent, said the report, citing figures from a survey on the social status of Austrian artists initiated by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education.

    The average monthly income of Austrian artists is only 1000 euros (1480 dollars), far below the national average income of 1488 euros (2202 dollars), the report said.

    The artists have to work an average of 52.1 hours a week, which is significantly higher than the average of 40 hours weekly for other workers.

    Female artists in Austria earn about 30 percent less than their male counterparts, the survey also showed.