Germany sees a slight increase in the number of unemployed: in December, the jobless rate increased by 0.1 per cent compared to November.
Andrea Nahles, chairwoman of the Federal Employment Agency, said in Nuremberg on Friday:
“December marks the beginning of the winter break in the labour market. As a result, unemployment and underemployment rose in December, as usual for the month.”
The number of unemployed people in Germany rose by 33,000 to 2.807 million from the previous month. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of Germans out of work rose by 10,000 from the previous month, and as a percentage, the unemployment rate rose 0.1 point to 6 per cent.
Underemployment, which in addition to unemployment also includes labour market policies and short-term incapacity for work, rose by 5,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis compared to the previous month. It stood at 3.581 million in December 2024, 103,000 more than a year ago.
In the last month of the year, the Federal Employment Agency registered 654 thousand jobs, 59 thousand fewer than a year ago, the newspaper said. The BA Employment Index (BA-X) – a measure of demand for staff in Germany, which takes into account both the number of registered jobs and the number of new vacancies – remained unchanged at 106 points in December 2024. Compared to the same month last year, BA-X fell by nine points.
In December 2024, 924,000 people were receiving unemployment benefits, 91,000 more than a year ago. The number of people eligible for Citizen’s Allowance and able to work was 3.962 million in December, 34,000 more than in December 2023. This means that 7.2 per cent of people of working age living in Germany needed help.
