Unemployment number drops, but our lack of a problem remains!

Unemployment number drops, but our lack of a problem remains!

The current situation on the German labor market is mixed after the number of unemployed has dropped by 12,000 to 2.919 million in May 2025. This corresponds to an unemployment rate of 6.2 percent, which could be reduced by 0.1 points compared to the previous month. Despite this decline, there is an alarming trend: compared to the previous year there are a total of 197,000 more unemployed. These developments are assessed by the Federal Employment Agency (BA) as weak, in particular in view of the delicate revitalization of the labor market in April and May 2025, such as Tagesschau.de

The BA predicts that rising unemployment figures can be expected again in summer. Another urgent problem remains the shortage of skilled workers, which is clearly noticeable in 163 out of 1,200 rated professions. Even if the number of professions concerned was reduced by 20 compared to the previous year, the situation remains similar to in 2018.

Open spots and short -time work

In May, 634,000 open jobs were registered, which means a decline of 67,000 compared to the previous year. These values ​​show that the demand for workers does not keep up with the current demographic changes. Nursing and health professions are particularly affected, but also industries such as construction, the craft and the educators who continue to suffer from a shortage of skilled workers.

In addition, the first three May weeks recorded an increase in registrations for economic short-time work. Around 33,000 people registered during this period. This trend also cheers the number of people who received economic short -time money in March 2025. A total of 248,000, which represents a decline of 13,000 compared to February, but an increase of 38,000 compared to the previous year.

training market under pressure

The apprenticeships are recorded on the training market. In May 2025, 441,000 apprenticeships were reported, which corresponds to a decline of 28,000 compared to the previous year. At the same time, the number of applicants rose to 375,000, which in turn is 11,000 more than in the previous year. These developments leave a clear picture: in May 191,000 applicants were unaffected, and a character for the problem on the training market.

The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) plays a central role in the provision of labor market statistics and offers bmas.de Labor market situation. The data provided not only include the development of unemployment, but also figures on employment and training statistics subject to social security contributions, which are supported by the statistics of the Federal Employment Agency.

These current statistics and reports are not only important for the analysis of the economic situation, but also for the development of strategies to combat unemployment and shortage of skilled workers in Germany