As of: March 28, 2024, 11:51 a.m
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The logo of the Federal Employment Agency is reflected in a window. © Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
March brought some movement to the Thuringian labor market. However, little is happening when it comes to one crucial parameter.
Halle/Erfurt - With the start of spring, the number of unemployed people in Thuringia fell to 70,500. 1,100 fewer people were unemployed in March than in the previous month. The unemployment rate fell from 6.5 percent to 6.4 percent, as the regional directorate of the Federal Employment Agency announced on Thursday. A year ago the rate was 6.1 percent. Compared to other countries, Thuringia was below the rates of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hamburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin and Bremen in the current evaluation. Nationwide the rate was 6.0 percent.
Spring traditionally brings positive impulses for the labor market. “More job opportunities are expected to arise in the coming months as companies are urgently looking for skilled workers,” said the head of the Federal Employment Agency’s regional directorate, Markus Behrens. However, due to economic and political uncertainties as well as ongoing inflationary pressure, there is a reluctance to hire new employees. Employers reported almost 3,000 new jobs, almost 600 fewer than in the previous month and 400 fewer than in March a year ago.
Another 4,800 women and men registered as unemployed in March. That was around 510 fewer than in February and almost 380 more than the same month last year. In contrast, almost 5,000 previously unemployed people found a job on the primary labor market. That was 1,100 more than in February and around 300 more than a year ago.
Long-term unemployment is stagnating - around 33 percent
There was hardly any change in the number of women and men who had been out of work for more than a year: around 23,500 people were considered long-term unemployed in March. In February there were 90 more, but in March 2023 there were 3,000 fewer. The proportion of long-term unemployed people among all unemployed also rose slightly from 32.9 percent in February to 33.3 percent in March.
“The number of long-term unemployed is still at a significantly higher level than before Corona,” criticized the district chairman of the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), Michael Rudolph. Many people wanted to work, but couldn't find suitable employment. In order to have easier access to the labor market, these people would need tailor-made further training offers. In this context, Rudolph also raised the assumption that the job centers are not sufficiently financially equipped to qualify people and put them into work.
The Federal Agency used data that was available up to March 13th. dpa