Federal Employment Agency: Number of unemployed increased in January

The number of unemployed rose again in January. This is not unusual for this time of year. However, the development confirms the recent trend: it is becoming more difficult to find a job.

The number of unemployed in Germany rose in the first month of the year, as is usual for the season – to 2.8 million. That is 169,000 more than in December 2023 and 189,000 more than in January last year, said the Federal Employment Agency in Nuremberg. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 points to 6.1 percent.

For its January statistics, the Federal Agency used data that was available up to the 15th of the month.

Labor market stable – despite economic weakness

“The annual increase in unemployment at the turn of the year is lower this year. Employment and demand for labor are also constant, so that the labor market is stable at the beginning of the year despite the ongoing economic weakness,” said the CEO of the Federal Employment Agency (BA), Andrea Nahles.

Nevertheless, the chances of unemployed people finding a new job are decreasing. According to the Federal Agency, 699,000 job vacancies were reported in January. That’s 66,000 fewer than a year ago.

Many apprenticeship positions not filled

The situation on the training market remains difficult. Many apprenticeships offered by companies cannot be filled. According to the information, in the so-called post-placement period from October 2023 to January 2024, there were 64,000 more young people looking for training than in the previous year. This compares to 85,000 registered training positions in companies, almost 4,000 more than in the previous year.

According to the BA, 28,000 applicants were still unavailable in January 2024 and a further 18,000 were still looking for a training position despite an alternative. At the same time, 18,000 training positions were still unfilled.