According to the Institute for Labour Market and Vocational Research (IAB), the number of available job openings in Germany dropped to around one million in the second quarter of 2026. This figure represents a decrease of 129,800, or approximately eleven percent, compared to the previous quarter. When measured against the second quarter of 2025, the decline was slightly smaller, standing at 35,000, or about three percent. IAB labor market researcher Alexander Kubis noted that, with the exception of the 2020 Covid lockdowns, the demand for workers had not been at such a low level since 2016.
In the second quarter alone, West Germany required 820,400 positions to be filled, while East Germany needed 203,000. Overall, approximately 81 percent of the available jobs required immediate filling. Nationwide, for every 100 advertised job openings, an average of 291 registered unemployed individuals applied. This meant the job-to-unemployment ratio was higher than in the previous year’s quarter (by 14 applicants) and the previous quarter (by 27 applicants).
Kubis explained that both international conflicts and internal structural issues have significantly slowed down hiring demand across Germany during the first half of 2026. This ongoing weakness in the labor market is also seen in the increase in applications received by companies hiring employees under social security obligations. Current studies show that this applicant rate has surged from nine applicants in 2022 to an average of sixteen applicants between 2022 and 2025.
