November: Number of unemployed fell slightly

Thanks to a slight autumn revival, the number of unemployed fell slightly in November – albeit less sharply than in previous years. Overall, the labor market is stable, according to the Federal Agency.

The number of unemployed in Germany fell slightly in November, but not as much as in previous years. The Federal Employment Agency put the number of unemployed at 2.434 million – 8,000 fewer than in October, but 117,000 more than a year ago.

The unemployment rate is thus unchanged at 5.3 percent and thus 0.2 points higher than in November 2021. “Overall, the labor market is stable. Although seasonally adjusted unemployment and underemployment have risen again and short-time work is increasing again, employment is growing significantly.” , said Daniel Terzenbach, board member of the Federal Employment Agency.

Increase in short-time work

The Federal Agency is again noticing an increase in short-time work. From November 1st to 24th, employers announced short-time work for 82,000 employees. Data on short-time work benefits actually paid out is only available up to September. In that month, the Federal Agency paid short-time work benefits for 157,000 employees. That is more than twice as many as in August.

The willingness of companies to hire is still high, but has weakened somewhat, it said. In November, 823,000 vacancies were reported, 15,000 more than a year ago. Seasonally adjusted, however, the stock decreased compared to October.

Refugees from Ukraine continue to influence the labor market. According to the Federal Agency, 189,000 people from Ukraine are currently unemployed. Around 620,000 people from Ukraine are on basic social security, including 200,000 children. By September, 59,000 Ukrainians had been employed subject to social security contributions, and another 18,000 in mini-jobs.