According to the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), the number of unemployed persons in Germany rose by 40,000 compared to the same month last year in September 2026. However, month-over-month figures showed a significant decrease of 67,000, bringing the total down to 2.994 million. On a seasonally adjusted basis, unemployment increased by 12,000 people compared to the previous month, while the unemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percentage points to 6.4 percent.
Andrea Nahles, Chairwoman of the Federal Employment Agency, commented in Nuremberg on Wednesday that the autumn economic revival typically begins in September, but noted that the start is currently sluggish, and the economic improvement has not yet been reflected in the labor market.
A broader measure, known as “underemployment”-which includes unemployment alongside labor market policies and temporary incapacities-paints a more comprehensive picture. Seasonally adjusted, underemployment decreased by 7,000 people in September compared to the previous month. Despite this, the figure was 25,000 higher than a year prior, totaling 3.615 million.
Job demand remains weak. The agency reported 660,000 job openings in September, which is 30,000 more than the same time last year. The BA Job Index (BA-X), an indicator that gauges labor demand by factoring in the backlog of reported positions and the inflow of new vacancies, rose by one point to 104 in September 2026. However, this represented a six-point decrease when compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.
Based on projections from the Federal Employment Agency, 1.082 million people received unemployment benefits in September 2026, an increase of 85,000 compared to the previous year. The estimated number of people entitled to basic social security benefits amounted to 3.704 million in September, marking a decline of 145,000 compared to September 2025. This means that 6.8 percent of the working-age population in Germany required assistance.
