Status: 08/31/2021 10:20 a.m.
The situation on the German labor market continued to improve in August despite the summer break and the corona pandemic. According to the employment agency, the number of unemployed has declined – according to 2.58 million people without a job.
Contrary to the seasonal trend, the number of unemployed in Germany fell in August. Nationwide, 2.58 million people were unemployed, 12,000 fewer than in July and 377,000 fewer than in August 2020. This was announced by the Federal Employment Agency (BA). The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.6 percent.
“The job market has continued to recover,” said the Federal Agency’s chairman, Detlef Scheele. Unemployment continued to fall sharply, although it was still the summer break. “Employment growth is picking up momentum.”
Usually fewer hires in August
Unemployment usually rises in August as companies hire fewer people and apprenticeships end before the summer holidays. This summer, however, this will be overshadowed by catch-up effects: After the lockdown that lasted for months, many industries are looking for workers again. According to the Federal Agency, the number of unemployed fell for the first time since 2010 in August.
Seasonally adjusted, the number of people without a job even fell by 53,000. The reference date for the current labor market statistics was August 12th. However, the consequences of the Corona crisis are still noticeable: According to an estimate by the Federal Agency, the level of unemployment is still 261,000 higher.
Reduction in short-time work in August
The advertisements for short-time work also fell in August. From August 1st to 25th, companies announced short-time working for 68,000 people. Data on how many people actually received short-time allowance are available by June.
According to the extrapolated data, short-time work benefits were paid for 1.59 million employees in the month – the sum fell below the two million mark for the first time since the beginning of the crisis. In April 2020, the short-time allowance paid had reached a high of almost six million euros.