🔶 The number of unemployed in Germany has reached just under three million

With the end of the summer holidays, Germany’s job market typically sees more activity. However, the seasonal improvement in September this year has been very limited.

According to figures released by Germany’s Federal Employment Agency, the number of unemployed registered in September was 2,994,000—meaning about 67,000 fewer than in August.

The unemployment rate, compared with the previous month, fell by 0.1 percentage points to 6.4%. However, the number of unemployed is about 40,000 higher than in September last year. Statistics on underemployment or partial employment—which also includes participants in labor market policy programs—reached 3.6 million in September. This figure is 25,000 higher than the previous year.

In this regard, Andrea Nahles, head of the Federal Employment Agency, spoke of the start of “autumn activity” in the labor market, but emphasized that this trend is currently “lackluster” and that economic improvement has not yet had a noticeable impact.

Companies’ demand for labor also remains weak. In September, about 660,000 job vacancies were reported to the employment agency; this was 30,000 more than last year.

There are also changes among recipients of government benefits. In September, 1,082,000 people in Germany used unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosengeld); that is 85,000 more than a year earlier. In contrast, the number of able-to-work people receiving basic livelihood assistance (Bürgergeld) reached 3,704,000, which is 145,000 fewer than in September last year.