“In August, too, the labour market shows little momentum beyond the usual seasonal pattern. This marks a continuation of the subdued trend seen in recent months”, 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 August:
+54,000 to 3,061,000
Unemployed persons compared to last year:
+36,000
Unemployment rate compared to the previous month:
+0.1 percentage points to 6.5%

Unemployment and underemployment

As the summer break continues, unemployment rose by 54,000 to 3,061,000 in August 2026. On a seasonally adjusted basis, it is 4,000 higher than the previous month. The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 6.5%. Compared with August last year, the number of unemployed is 36,000 higher; the unemployment rate has risen by 0.1 percentage points year-on-year. The unemployment rate calculated by the Federal Statistical Office in accordance with the ILO short-term employment concept stood at 4.2% in July.

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. On a seasonally adjusted basis, it fell by 3,000 in August compared with the previous month. At 3,674,000, it was 33,000 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 to 24 August inclusive, 14,000 people were reported as being on short-time work due to the economic downturn.

Current data on actual usage is available until June 2026. According to preliminary estimates, short-time work benefits were paid to 140,000 employees this month. That was 8,000 more than in the previous month and around 55,000 fewer than a year ago.

Gainful employment and persons employed

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of persons in employment (in line with the domestic concept) fell by 14,000 in July 2026 compared to the previous month if the figures are adjusted to account for seasonal factors. At 45.66 million, it is 226,000 lower than in the previous year. According to projections by the Federal Employment Agency, seasonally adjusted employment subject to social insurance contributions rose by 1,000 between May and June 2026. Compared to the previous year, it was 73,000 lower at 34.81 million persons employed. 7,62 million people were in marginal employment in June 2026, 56,000 fewer than in the same month last year. Of these, 4.08 million were employed exclusively in low-paid jobs and 3.53 million in part-time jobs.

Labour demand

Labour demand remains weak. 656,000 jobs were registered with the Federal Employment Agency (BA) in August – 25,000 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 registrations – remained unchanged at 103 points in August 2026. Compared to the same month last year, the BA-X is 4 points higher.

Cash benefits in the event of unemployment and need for assistance

1,133,000 people received unemployment benefits in August 2026 according to BA projections, 109,000 more than a year ago. The number of citizens eligible for income support was estimated at 3,754,000 in August. Compared to August 2025, this was a decrease of 116,000 people. this means that 6.9 percent of people of working age living in Germany were in need of assistance.

Training market

Since October 2025, 433,000 applicants have registered with employment agencies and job centres for a vocational training place, 4,000 more than in the same month last year. 156,000 reported by August that their search for training had been successful, 11,000 fewer than a year ago. So far, 102,000 have found neither a training place nor an alternative. The statistics show a total of 451,000 registered training places. That was 32,000 fewer than in August 2025. 116,000 apprenticeship places are still unfilled. The training market remains in flux right up until the end of the reporting year on 30 September. In particular, the number of unfilled apprenticeship places and the number of applicants who have not been offered a place are set to fall significantly.