Despite the near-recession, the number of working people in Germany is higher than ever before. In the third quarter, it grew by 356,000 or 0.8 percent over the same period last year and reached 45.4 million, the highest level since reunification in 1990, as the Federal Statistical Office announced. The increase was due to "the already beginning of the autumn revival in the labor market".
More people in permanent employment
More and more people are also finding a steady job. The number of employees increased in the third quarter compared to the same period last year by 427,000 to 41.22 million. The authorities attributed this primarily to the continuing increase in employees subject to social security contributions. The number of self-employed, including family workers, fell by 71,000 to 4.15 million.
From July to September, the German economy managed a mini-growth of 0.1 percent due to the buoyant consumer mood and rising exports, after a decline of 0.2 percent in the spring. For two consecutive quarters in a row, experts speak of a recession that last occurred in Germany around the turn of the year 2012/13.
Regardless of the record, the economic slump leaves its mark on the labor market. "Although employment growth continued, its momentum weakened over the course of 2019," the statisticians said. In the first quarter of the employment has grown by 1.1 percent, in the second quarter by 1.0 percent.
Above all, the service providers once again contributed to the sustained increase in the past quarter. The largest absolute employment gains were reported by the
- Public service provider , education, health with 201,000 persons (+1.8 percent),
- followed by the Commerce, Transport and Hospitality sector with 54,000 (+0.5)
- as well as the area of information and communication with 49,000 (+3,7).
"On the other hand, the downward trend in business service providers continued," it said. For the financial and insurance service providers, the number of persons in employment fell again, by 10,000 or 0.9 percent. In the manufacturing sector, the number of employed persons increased by 36,000 persons (+0,4), in the construction sector by 35,000 persons (+1,4). By contrast, it fell by 12,000 (-1.9) in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
