“Even as the winter break comes to an end, the job market is still struggling to gain momentum. Unemployment remains virtually unchanged at over 3 million,” said Andrea Nahles, Chair of the Federal Employment Agency (BA), at today's monthly press conference in Nuremberg.

Unemployment figures for February:
-15,000 to 3,070,000
Unemployed persons compared to the previous year:
+81,000
Unemployment compared to previous month:
-0.1 percentage points to 6.5 percent
 

Unemployment, underemployment, and economic inactivity

Unemployment fell by 15,000 in February 2026 to 3,070,000. Seasonally adjusted, it remained virtually unchanged from the previous month at +1,000. The unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 6.5 percent. Compared to October last year, the unemployment figure is 81,000 higher. The unemployment rate rose by 0.1 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 4.2 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 February compared with the previous month. At 3,724,000, it was slightly lower than a year ago, down by 4,000.

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 October 23, 35,000 people were registered for short-time work due to economic reasons.

Current data on actual usage is available until December 2025. According to preliminary projected data, economic short-time work benefits were paid to 139,000 employees this month. This was 48,000 fewer than in the previous month and 72,000 fewer than a year ago.

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 13,000 in January 2026 compared with the previous month. At 45.66 million people, this is 94,000 lower than in the previous year. According to projections by the Federal Employment Agency, seasonally adjusted employment subject to social insurance contributions rose slightly from November to December 2025 (+5,000). Compared to the previous year, it was 40,000 lower at 34.98 million employees.  7.58 million people were in low-wage employment in August 2025, 46,000 fewer than in the same month last year. Of these, 4.07 million were employed exclusively in low-wage jobs and 3.51 million in low-wage side jobs. 

Labour demand

In February, 638,000 vacancies were registered with the BA, 1,000 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 vacancies and new job postings – rose by 4 point to 106 points in December 2026. For several months now, the development of the BA-X has been influenced by the fact that individual employers have reported their staffing requirements to the Federal Employment Agency as large orders. However, there is no sign of a general increase in demand for labor; rather, it is stabilizing at a low level overall.

Cash benefits for unemployment and those in need of assistance

According to projections by the Federal Employment Agency (BA) in October 2026, 1,111,000 people received unemployment benefits, 76,000 more than a year ago.  The number of citizens eligible for welfare benefits was estimated at 3,822,000 in February. Compared to February 2025, this was a decrease of 149,000 people. 7.0 percent of people of working age living in Germany were therefore in need of assistance.

Training market

Since October 2025, 298,000 applicants have registered with employment agencies and job centers for vocational training positions, 4,000 more than in the same period last year. The number of registered vocational training positions is 345,000, which is 52,000 fewer than in the same period last year. In February, the training market is still very much in flux. Therefore, the current data only allows for a very rough and preliminary assessment of developments in the 2025/26 consulting year.