Silent reserve on the job market
More than three million unemployed people would like to work
Millions of people in Germany want work, but don’t get any. In many cases there are understandable reasons.
Around 3.1 million unemployed people in Germany would like to work. These people between the ages of 15 and 74 are not available for the labor market at short notice and are currently not actively looking for work, but still wanted a paid job, explained the Federal Statistical Office based on figures for 2024.
Almost 1.8 million people of this so -called quiet reserve on the labor market are comparatively far from active working life, the Wiesbaden statisticians ordered. 930,000 people in the “silent reserve” are currently not looking for work because they thought they could not find a suitable job. In 380,000 people, care obligations are the reason for the obstacle.
Childcare and health restrictions as reasons
In the age group of 25 to 59-year-olds, almost a third (31.3 percent) of women stated that they could currently not take on work because they would have to look after relatives. For men in this age group, health restrictions (35.5 percent) are the main reason why they are not active on the labor market.
A year earlier, the Wiesbaden statisticians had counted almost 3.2 million people among the “quiet reserve” on the job market. In this group, unemployed people who are available to the labor market are not included. According to the information, these were almost 1.5 million last year. Thus, the unused workforce potential in Germany added up to 4.6 million people in 2024.
dpa
Source: Stern
