Saxony has been fighting with the highest unemployment since 2016!

Saxony has been fighting with the highest unemployment since 2016!

In Saxony, the current unemployment rate is 6.8 percent, which means a decline of 1,000 unemployed in comparison to the previous month. Nevertheless, there are an increase of 9,400 people compared to the previous year with around 147,000 unemployed. These figures mark the highest number of unemployment in a May since 2016, such as the Saxon reported. The decline in unemployment from April to May is particularly striking, which is classified as the lowest in the past 20 years.

Klaus-Peter Hansen, the head of the regional directorate of the Federal Employment Agency, describes the current labor market situation as highly uncertainty. Companies show a moving willingness to hire, which has led to an increase in layoffs, among other things. The data was collected on May 10th.

comparison to the previous period

of the total of 149,283 unemployed were 95,045 (63.7%) in job centers and 54,238 (36.3%) in employment agencies. The increase in the job centers was 2,507 (plus 2.7%), while an increase of 6,416 (plus 13.4%) was recorded in the employment agencies. The highest unemployment rate since March 2017 is an alarming signal for economic stability in the region.

regional differences and employment situation

The increase in unemployment was observed in all Saxon regions. Leipzig were particularly affected with an increase of 14.4%, followed by middle Saxony (plus 9.3%), Dresden (plus 9.9%) and Chemnitz (plus 8.6%). The lowest increase was the districts of Central Saxony, Görlitz and Meißen with quotas between 4.4% and 6.1%. The district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Mountains had the lowest unemployment rate at 5.7%, while Chemnitz is 9.4% at the top.

With regard to employment subject to social security contributions, a decline of 600 jobs in November 2024 is shown compared to the previous month. However, there were significantly positive developments in the areas of homes and social affairs (plus 3,500), healthcare (plus 2,100) and public administration (plus 1,500). Nevertheless, there was a decline in the sectors of the processing trade, temporary work and the construction industry.

A total of 31,283 vacancies in Saxon employment agencies and job centers. But the challenges remain great: 29,842 people reported newly unemployed in January 2025, while only 20,966 could end their unemployment.

The Statistics sachsen adds that the number of employment is also influenced by various factors, the duration and type of employment are decisive. The current numbers show a complex and uncertain location of the Saxon labor market, which urgently needs to be addressed.