German Statistical Office (Destatis): 42.6 million persons resident in Germany were in employment in 2014, 0.9 % increase on a year earlier

WIESBADEN, 07-1-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — In 2014, an average 42.6 million persons resident in Germany were in employment, which was an increase of 372,000 or 0.9 % on a year earlier. According to first provisional calculations of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the increase in employment was higher in 2014 than in 2013 when the number of persons in employment rose by 247,000 or 0.6%. At the same time, employment in Germany reached a record high for the eighth time in a row in 2014. Both net immigration of foreign labour and a generally higher inclination towards workforce participation are expected to have contributed to this development, too.

As provisional estimates based on the labour force survey show, the number of unemployed people (according to the internationally comparable definition) in Germany declined by 77,000 (–3.5%) to just over 2.1 million on an annual average in 2014, year on year. The active labour force available in the labour market, defined as the total of persons in employment and unemployed persons, increased by 295,000 (+0.7%) to 44.7 million in the same period. The unemployment rate, which represents unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force, was down from 4.9% to 4.7%, as calculated on this basis. This shows that Germany is still affected to a lesser extent by unemployment than all other EU Member States.

Especially employees benefit from the sustained positive development of the German labour market. The number of employees resident in Germany increased by 424,000 (+1.1%) to 38.2 million on an annual average in 2014. However, the number of self-employed including family workers decreased by 52,000 (–1.2%) to 4.4 million in the same period.

According to the first provisional calculations of the Federal Statistical Office, the number of persons in employment whose place of employment was in Germany amounted to 42.7 million on an annual average in 2014. This was an increase of 371,000 (+0.9%) compared with a year earlier. The difference between the number of persons in employment who are resident in Germany and the number of those whose place of employment is in Germany can be explained by the balance of non-residents working in Germany and residents working abroad. On an annual average in 2014, the number of non-residents working in Germany was by 54,000 higher than the number of residents working abroad, according to first provisional calculations. The surplus of non-residents working in the country was only slightly lower (by 1,000 people) than the annual average of 2013.

Compared with a year earlier, employment was higher in nearly all economic sectors in 2014. In the service sector, the number of persons in employment whose place of employment was in Germany wasup by 324,000 (+1.0%) on an annual average in 2014. The largest employment gains within the service sector were recorded for public services, education, health (+112,000 persons in employment or +1.1%), followed by trade, transport, accommodation and food services (+99,000 people or +1.0%) and business services (+88,000 people or +1.6%). In 2014, employment gains were also recorded for the producing sectors. In industry (excluding construction), the number of persons in employment in 2014 was up by 20,000 (+0.2%) and in construction by an average 17,000 (+0.7%). In agriculture and forestry, fisheries, the number of persons in employment increased by 10,000 (+1.5%) on an annual average in 2014.

Labour force, unemployed persons and persons in employment whose place of residence is in Germany 1

Persons in employment whose place of employment is in Germany,by economic sector 1

Detailed data and long time series on persons in employment and unemployed persons are available from the tables Erwerbstätige (81000-0015) andErwerbspersonen inklusive Erwerbslose (81000-0011) in the GENESIS-Online database.

The current data and brief methodological notes regarding the calculation of employment and unemployment figures are available on the Destatis website.

>> Brief methodological description employment

>> Brief methodological description hours worked

For further information:
Stephan Lüken,
tel. +49 611 75 2016,
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Anschrift

• Statistisches Bundesamt