The Ukraine war left traces on the Bavarian job market – but not big ones. The number of unemployed in August rose by 5.9 percent compared to the previous month to 252,952, as the Bavarian regional office of the Federal Employment Agency announced on Wednesday. The unemployment rate as of August 11 was 3.4 percent – 0.2 points higher than in July. According to the experts, the increase is due to seasonal effects and unemployed refugees from Ukraine.
Unemployment figures usually rise over the summer because companies are hiring fewer before the holidays and apprenticeships end. These had also increased in June and July. According to the regional directorate, unemployment in August in Bavaria is almost unchanged compared to a year ago. Without the Ukrainian unemployed, it would have decreased by 29,766.
“We are currently noticing that after six months of war in Ukraine, the influx of refugees is decreasing. Nevertheless, Bavaria will remain a place of refuge for these refugees,” said the deputy head of the regional directorate, Klaus Beier. A large number of them are not yet available for the job market because they first have to learn the German language. The Ukrainian refugees now receive basic social security and thus also appear in the unemployment statistics. The regional directorate sees a positive development in the long-term unemployed, whose number has fallen compared to the previous year.
Despite the energy crisis, delivery bottlenecks and shortage of materials, the demand for labor is at a high level. In August, 163,864 vacancies were reported to the employment agencies and job centers in Bavaria. For comparison: In August 2019 there were 129,798. According to the Association of Bavarian Business, companies in many sectors have problems filling vacancies due to the shortage of skilled workers and workers. Unemployment developed differently from region to region: The districts of Günzburg and Main-Spessart recorded the lowest rate at 1.9 percent, followed by Eichstätt and Unterallgäu at two percent. The rate was highest in Schweinfurt at 6.9 percent and Coburg at 6.1 percent.