Overview

• Registered unemployment fell by 70,000 to 2.955 million in September, lowering the rate to 6.3%, yet the total remains 148,000 higher than a year earlier, according to the Federal Employment Agency.
• Employer demand softened further, with 630,000 vacancies reported, down 66,000 year on year, and the BA job vacancy index steady at 98, nine points below September 2024.
• Short-time work stayed relevant, with notifications for 36,000 employees from September 1–24 and preliminary July payments covering about 199,000 workers, slightly below June but above July 2024.
• Destatis reported about 45.8 million people employed in August, essentially unchanged month on month and year on year; the seasonally adjusted ILO jobless rate held at 3.7%.
• Regional data show uneven conditions: NRW unemployment fell by roughly 21,600 to about 782,200, Bavaria saw only a small monthly drop with no clear autumn rebound, and states such as Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, Saxony, Sachsen‑Anhalt, and Thuringia remain above last year with elevated long‑term unemployment.