Provisional official calculations showed that roughly 45.41 million residents in Germany were in employment under the national concept in August 2026. The seasonally adjusted number fell by 29,000, or 0.1 per cent, from July. From January to July 2026, employment had decreased by an average of 20,000 people month on month.
Germany had around 45.41 million residents in employment in August 2026, down 0.1 per cent month on month after seasonal adjustment.
The unadjusted count fell 0.2 per cent from July and 0.5 per cent from August 2025, extending the year-on-year decline since January 2025.
For apparel and textile employers, the data point to a softer labour market backdrop in Germany.
Without seasonal adjustment, employment was down by 69,000, or 0.2 per cent, from July 2026, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said in a press release. The August average for 2023 to 2025 showed a smaller month-on-month decrease of 38,000 people, or 0.1 per cent.
On a year-on-year basis, employment in August 2026 was down by 235,000, or 0.5 per cent, from August 2025. The year-on-year downward trend observed since January 2025 therefore continued. Compared with the same month a year earlier, the rate of change was minus 0.4 per cent from January to April 2026 and minus 0.5 per cent in May, June and July 2026.
According to labour force survey results cited by Destatis, 1.86 million people were unemployed in August 2026, an increase of 120,000, or 6.9 per cent, compared with August 2025. The unemployment rate was 4.3 per cent, up from 3.9 per cent a year earlier.
Adjusted for seasonal and irregular effects, the number of unemployed stood at 1.76 million in August 2026, up by 9,000, or 0.5 per cent, from July 2026. The adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged from the previous month at 4.0 per cent; Destatis said the rate had previously last been at that level in June 2016.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (CG)
