The good news first: The labor market remains robust, employment continues to grow, says Andrea Nahles when presenting the current unemployment figures. But the first signs of the looming economic crisis can already be felt.
The number of unemployed in Germany fell by 43,000 to 2,442,000 in October compared to the previous month, which is typical for the season. However, it is 65,000 higher than at the same time last year, according to the Federal Employment Agency in Nuremberg. The unemployment rate fell by 0.1 points to 5.3 percent.
“Overall, the labor market is still robust, and employment in particular is continuing to grow,” said Andrea Nahles, Chairwoman of the Federal Agency’s Board of Management. In October 2021, however, the autumn revival on the labor market had caused the number of unemployed to fall twice as much by 88,000 at the time. However, the Federal Agency continues to assume that the refugees from Ukraine are currently having an effect on the number of unemployed.
Short-time work has not decreased recently – as in the previous months. For Nahles, this is also a consequence of the economic uncertainties that have recently become clearer. According to calculations by the Federal Agency, 106,000 people applied for short-time work benefits in August. Between October 1 and October 26, complaints were received for a further 86,000 workers. However, it is not certain whether these will be realised.
There is a growing gap between supply and demand on the training place market. “Never since reunification have the chances of finding an apprenticeship been so good. However, companies are finding it increasingly difficult to fill a position,” said Nahles.
A total of 546,000 vocational training places had been reported to the Federal Agency by September 2022, 23,100 fewer than in the same period last year. This compares to 422,400 applicants, 11,100 fewer than last year. On September 30, 68,900 jobs were still unfilled and 22,700 young people were still unplaced.
