Employment figures for 2024 hit historic peak.
Despite the economic downturn, employment in Germany rose to a new record high last year.
Wiesbaden (dpa) – The number of people in employment in Germany reached a new peak in 2024 despite the economic crisis: the average size of the active workforce over the year was 46.1 million people according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden: “This is more than at any time since German reunification in 1990.”
The statisticians’ initial estimations of the average for 2024 indicate that the workforce increased by 72,000 or 0.2 per cent compared to the previous year. This means that with the exception of the COVID-19 year of 2020, the number of people in employment has grown continuously since 2006. The Federal Statistical Office said the increase had lost significant momentum since mid-2022, however.
Only in the service sector has there been an increase in employment, with the workforce growing to 34.8 million in areas such as public services, education, healthcare, banking and insurance – 153,000 more than in the previous year. By contrast, employment figures have dropped in industry and construction.