While unemployment typically sees a decline at the start of the year-often attributed to a “spring recovery”-the figures for this April show only a modest improvement. According to the German Federal Employment Agency (BA), the total number of unemployed people dropped by 13,000, reaching 3.008 million. However, this figure represents a significant increase of 77,000 unemployed individuals compared to the same time last year.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged compared to the previous month, staying at 6.4 percent. Nonetheless, it was 0.1 percentage points higher than the rate recorded in the previous year. Andrea Nahles, head of the BA, stated that “a reversal trend in the labor market is not yet visible” adding that “the spring recovery is also weak in April”.
Despite the weak start, the level of demand for labor force remains stable, although it saw a slight decrease. The agency reported 641,000 open job positions in April, which is 5,000 fewer than the previous year.
In terms of benefits, 1.07 million people received unemployment benefits in April, marking an increase of 93,000 compared to the previous year. The estimated number of eligible recipients of citizen benefits totaled 3.826 million. This figure represents a decline of 125,000 individuals compared to April 2025, meaning that 7.0 percent of the working-age population living in Germany required assistance.
