Fewer young people are unemployed in Germany – compared to before and also compared to other EU countries. At the same time, fewer 15 to 24-year-olds can take care of themselves.
Youth unemployment in Germany has almost halved in the last 15 years and is well below the EU average. Last year, the unemployment rate for 15 to 24 year olds in Germany was 6.0 percent, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. In 2007 it was 11.9 percent. The EU average was 14.5 percent last year, more than twice as high as in Germany. It was highest in Greece (31.4 percent) and Spain (29.8 percent).
The statisticians cited the dual training system in Germany as one reason, which is considered gainful employment because of the company-based part of the training.
Fewer people are financially independent at a young age
At the same time, the proportion of young people and young adults in Germany who are financially independent has fallen in recent decades. Last year, 61 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds depended primarily on family or state support for their livelihood. 38 percent earned most of their money themselves. For just under 1 percent, their own assets were the main source of income from an early age.
30 years earlier, half of the 15 to 24-year-olds made their living mainly from their own gainful employment. The other half – and thus 11 percentage points less than in 2022 – was mainly dependent on financial support at the time.
The statisticians explained that the development of the past decades should also reflect the fact that an increasing proportion of young people are in school, studying or training.
Source: Stern
