“Despite a fall in unemployment, the spring upturn has not really gained momentum this year,” said Andrea Nahles, Chair of the Executive Board of the Federal Employment Agency of Germany (BA), today at the monthly press conference in Nuremberg.

Unemployment figures for May:
-58,000 to 2,950,000
Unemployed figures compared to the previous year:
+31,000
Unemployment rate compared to the previous month:
-0.1 percentage points to 6.3 percent

Unemployment and underemployment 

Unemployment fell by 58,000 to 2,950,000 in May 2026. Seasonally adjusted, it is 12,000 lower than in the previous month. However, this is likely to be largely due to a rebound effect following the weak performance in April. The unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 6.3 percent. Compared to May last year, the number of unemployed persons is 31,000 higher; the unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points. The unemployment rate calculated by the Federal Statistical Office in accordance with the ILO short-term employment concept stood at 3.9% in April.
In addition to unemployment, underemployment also takes labour market policy and short-term incapacity for work into account, and, therefore, provides a more comprehensive picture. Seasonally adjusted, it fell by 8,000 in May compared to the previous month. At 3,628,000, it was 15,000 higher than a year ago.

Short-time work

Before the start of short-time work, companies are required to notify the authorities of the expected loss of working hours. According to the latest data from 1 May to and including 25 May, 26,000 people were reported as being on short-time work due to the economic downturn.
Up-to-date figures on actual usage will be available up to March 2026. According to preliminary estimates, short-time work benefits were paid to 151,000 employees this month. That was 1,000 fewer than the previous month and 113,000 fewer than a year ago.

Gainful employment and persons employed

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of people in employment (based on the domestic concept) dropped by 5,000 in April 2026 compared to the previous month, after seasonal adjustment. At 45.75 million, it is 189,000 lower than in the previous year. According to projections by the Federal Employment Agency of Germany (BA), the number of jobs subject to social insurance contributions increased by 9,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis between February 2026 and March 2026. Compared to the previous year, it was 75,000 lower at 34.81 million persons employed. In March 2026, 7.51 million people were in marginal employment, 40,000 fewer than in the same month last year. Of these, 4.03 million were employed exclusively in marginal jobs and 3.48 million in secondary marginal jobs.

Labour demand

Overall, demand for labour has stabilised at a low level. In May, 643,000 job vacancies were registered with the BA, 8,000 more 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 job vacancies and new registrations – increased by 1 point to 103 points in May 2026. Compared to the same month last year, the BA-X is 3 points higher.

Cash benefits in the event of unemployment and need for assistance

1,073,000 people received unemployment benefits in May 2026 according to BA projections, 113,000 more than a year ago. The estimated number of citizens eligible for basic income who were of working age stood at 3,830,000 in May. This represented a decrease of 103,000 people compared to May 2025. This means that 7.1 percent of people of working age living in Germany were in need of assistance.

Training market

Since October 2025, 382,000 applicants have registered with employment agencies and job centres for an apprenticeship training position, 2 percent more than in the same period last year. 199,000 had neither found a training place nor an alternative by May 2026. The statistics also show that 396,000 apprenticeship training positions have been registered. Due to procedural changes, the number of apprenticeship training positions is currently not fully reflected in the statistics. According to estimates for April 2026, job vacancies stand at -5 percent, which is still well below the figure for the same period last year. The placement of apprenticeship training positions registered with the employment agencies but not included in the statistics is not affected. In May, the training market is still in a state of flux. Consequently, the current data allow only a preliminary assessment of trends for the 2025/2026 advisory year.