Annual average unemployment figures for Germany 2005-2023

Annual average unemployment figures in Germany have been encouraging in recent years due to falling rates. In 2023, there were 2.62 million unemployed people, this was an increase from the year before, but a very similar figure to 2021. Increased unemployment in 2020 was a consequence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Jobseekers

By definition, "registered as unemployed" are those who are registered with the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) or a similar association providing basic social care as "being out of a job (i.e. works less than 15 hours per week), looking for a job, available for the job market." This means that not every employable person in need is unemployed. Thus, people who do not work are not automatically unemployed. Predictably, German jobseekers also use social media platforms to look for employment, among them foremost professional networks such as LinkedIn and the German Xing. Companies also increasingly use online job platforms to look for employees.

Automation risk

On average, hours worked on the so-called main job in Germany amounted to 34.3 a week in 2019, though of course details depend on individual fields and job types. A rising concern among employees is the threat of job loss due to automation. Larger companies in particular use industrial robots, which poses questions about the future of many manual jobs.