The labor market continues to lack economic momentum. The weak trend is therefore continuing at the end of the year," said Andrea Nahles, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Federal Employment Agency (BA), at today's monthly press conference in Nuremberg.

Unemployment figures for December:
+23,000 to 2,908,000
Unemployment figures compared to the previous year:
+101,000
Unemployment rate compared to previous month:
+0.1 percentage points to 6.2 percent

Unemployment, underemployment, and joblessness 

With the onset of the winter break, unemployment rose by 23,000 to 2,908,000 in December 2025. Seasonally adjusted, it increased by 3,000 compared to the previous month. The unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 6.2 percent. Compared to November last year, the unemployment figure is 101,000 higher. The unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points compared with the same month last year. The unemployment rate calculated by the Federal Statistical Office according to the ILO concept of employment was 3.7 percent in September.

In addition to unemployment, underemployment also includes labor market policy and short-term incapacity to work, and therefore provides a more comprehensive picture. Seasonally adjusted, it fell by 3,000 in December compared with the previous month. At 3,572,000, it was 3,000 lower than a year ago.

Short-time work

Before starting short-time work, companies must submit a notification of the expected loss of working hours. According to current data, from October 1 through December 29, 41,000 people were registered for short-time work due to economic reasons.

Current data on actual usage is available until October 2025. According to preliminary projected data, economic short-time work benefits were paid to 203,000 employees this month. That was 15,000 more than in the previous month, but 56,000 fewer than in October of the previous year.

Gainful employment and occupation

According to the Federal Statistical Office, after seasonal adjustment, the number of people in employment (based on the domestic concept) fell by 1,000 in October 2025 compared with the previous month. At 46.19 million people, this is 49,000 lower than in the previous year. According to projections by the Federal Employment Agency, seasonally adjusted employment subject to social insurance contributions remained unchanged from September to October 2025. Compared to the previous year, it was 11,000 lower at 35.23 million employees. 7.61 million people were in low-wage employment in October 2025, 25,000 fewer than in the same month last year. Of these, 4.06 million were employed exclusively and 3.55 million were employed in low-wage side jobs.

Labor demand

In December, 619,000 jobs were registered with the BA, 35,000 fewer than a year ago. The BA Job Index (BA X) – an indicator of demand for personnel in Germany that takes into account both the number of registered jobs and new job postings – rose by 1 point to 101 points in December 2025. Compared to the same month last year, the BA-X is down 5 points.

Cash benefits for unemployment and those in need of assistance

According to projections by the Federal Employment Agency (BA) in December 2025, 1,033,000 people were in receipt for unemployment benefits, 102,000 more than a year ago. The number of citizens eligible for welfare benefits was estimated at 3,824,000 in December.  Compared to December 2024, this represented a decrease of 122,000 people. 7.0 percent of people of working age living in Germany were therefore in need of assistance.