In March 2026 the number of unemployed people in Germany rose by 54 000 compared with March 2025. Compared with the previous month it fell by 49 000 to 3.021 million, and the seasonally adjusted figure remained unchanged from February. The unemployment rate slipped by 0.1 percentage point to 6.4 percent.
Federal Employment Agency chief Andrea Nahles said on Wednesday in Nuremberg that March normally marks the start of the spring revival in the labour market, but this year that momentum was not evident.
Underemployment – which covers unemployment, labour‑market policy measures and short‑term incapacity – offers a broader perspective. The seasonally adjusted underemployment figure was unchanged from the previous month, standing at 3.690 million in March, 4 000 fewer than a year earlier.
During the third month of the year, 638,000 vacancies were reported to the agency, a decrease of 5,000 relative to the same period a year ago. The BA vacancy index (BA‑X), an indicator of staffing demand that takes both existing vacancies and new entries into account, registered 103 points in March 2026.
According to the agency’s estimate, 1.104 million people received unemployment benefits in March 2026, 98 000 more than in March 2025. The estimated number of recipients of the basic income scheme (Bürgergeld) was 3.820 million, down 147 000 from March 2025 – meaning that 7.0 percent of Germany’s working‑age population depended on assistance.
