Increase in unemployment also affects people with disabilities

In 2024, the number of people with disabilities who were unemployed increased by six percent compared with the previous year. The annual average figure was 175,000, and the trend is continuing: since last summer, the figure has been continuously increasing – and now amounts to just under 183,000.

14 May 2025 | Press release no.22

The unemployment rates for people with disabilities are usually influenced more by demographic trends and the legal framework conditions than by the performance of the economy. In 2024, for example, the unemployment rate for non-severely disabled people rose more quickly than that for severely disabled people, increasing by seven percent.

The performance of the economy does have an impact on the extent of unemployment among disabled people, however. In the first year of the pandemic, 2020, the rate of unemployment for people with severe disabilities increased by almost nine percent. After the pandemic, the number began to fall year-on-year. It was not until mid-2023 that the rate of unemployment began to increase again – and somewhat later than for non-severely disabled people.

Most disabilities occur during the course of a person’s life

Nine out of ten disabilities are caused by illnesses or accidents during the course of a person’s life. In this context, of severely disabled people of working age who are between 15 and 65 years old, the over-55s are the largest group. In 2024, almost half of all severely disabled people who were unemployed were over 55 years old. The proportion of unemployed people who were not severely disabled was just under one quarter.

On average, unemployed people who have a severe disability are older, but they are often well qualified and represent a valuable labour market resource. 53 percent of unemployed people who have a severe disability have completed a course of vocational training, compared with just 44 percent of all unemployed people.

Daniel Terzenbach, Director of the Federal Employment Agency, believes that the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labour market is not just a question of equal opportunities, but also makes a contribution to the securing of skilled workers: “Regardless of the current economic situation, in the medium and long term, the shortages of skilled workers remains the biggest brake on growth for Germany. People with disabilities often have valuable qualifications and represent a good – and to date underutilised – resource. They are often better qualified than unemployed people who aren’t severely disabled, although they have a poorer record in finding employment. If businesses, the federal employment agencies and the Jobcenters work more closely together in this area, more employers will be able to make use of their potential.”
The Federal Employment Agency supports both jobseekers and businesses with a wide range of advice, assistance and support services and thus encourages an inclusive participation in working life.

Further information is available in the report of the Federal Employment Agency on the labour market situation for severely-disabled people in 2024: “Arbeitsmarktsituation schwerbehinderter Menschen 2024” (currently only available in German).