There is no shortage of work in Germany. However, new jobs were created almost exclusively in one sector.
The number of employed people in Germany continued to rise in the spring. In the second quarter of this year, 46.1 million people had a job or were self-employed, according to the Federal Statistical Office. This represents a seasonally adjusted increase of 0.1 percent compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 0.4 percent compared to the same period last year. This figure is below the average in the EU (+0.7 percent) and the euro area (+0.8 percent). The last time there was a decline in employment in Germany was in the first quarter of 2021, a year marked by the corona pandemic.
On balance, new jobs were created almost exclusively in the service sector, with 229,000 additional employees. In industry and construction, however, job cuts continued in the sluggish economy. There were 65,000 fewer people employed here than a year earlier.
The number of self-employed people, including family members who help them, is also declining. Their number fell by 29,000 to 3.8 million people. They were compared to 42.3 million employees. That is 196,000 people or 0.5 percent more than a year ago. On average, employed people worked 318.2 hours in the quarter. That is an increase of 0.4 percent.
Communication from Destatis
Source: Stern
