Kiel/Schwerin (dpa/mv) – The number of unemployed in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania rose sharply at the end of 2022. As the Regional Directorate North of the Federal Employment Agency announced on Tuesday, the number in December was 62,000 and thus 8.5 percent above the previous year’s value and 3.7 percent above the previous month’s value. The unemployment rate was 7.6 percent, down from 7.3 percent in November.
According to the head of the regional directorate, Markus Biercher, the background to the development is in particular the transition of the Ukrainian refugees to basic social security. Since mid-2022 they have been receiving Hartz IV, which is now called citizen benefit, and are thus included in the labor market system. Several thousand people from Ukraine are registered as jobseekers.
According to the latest data from October, the number of employees subject to social security contributions remained almost unchanged compared to the same month last year at 587,300. According to this, there were declines in manufacturing and construction, among other things, while the number of employees in the health sector, scientific and technical services and administration increased.
