Weak autumn upturn: German unemployment at 2.955 million in October
German unemployment fell by only 40,000 in October to a rate of 6.3%. Seasonally adjusted it rose by 4,000; it was 44,000 higher than a year earlier.
Archive image · Photo: Erdumlauf / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
The number of unemployed people in Germany fell to 2.955 million in October, 40,000 fewer than in September but 44,000 more than in October 2025, the Federal Employment Agency said in Nuremberg on Friday. The unemployment rate dropped 0.1 point to 6.3%. Adjusted for seasonal factors, however, unemployment rose by 4,000.
"The decline in unemployment in October is comparatively weak," said Andrea Nahles, head of the agency. "Economic conditions are still not sufficient for an improvement in the labour market."
Underemployment, which also counts people in support programmes, stood at a seasonally adjusted 3.592 million. Employers reported 654,000 vacancies to the agency, 31,000 more than a year earlier. Some 1.065 million people received unemployment benefit, up 88,000 from the same month last year.