Demand for new labour remains weak in Germany in Q3

More than 1 million jobs remained vacant across Germany in the third quarter, as demand for labour continues to be sluggish in Europe's biggest economy, according to figures published on Thursday.

The number of vacancies dropped by some 2%, or 24,700 jobs, to 1.03 million nationwide compared to the previous three months, the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) reported.

Compared to the third quarter of 2024, the number of unfilled positions declined by 19%, or 246,100 jobs, according to a survey by IAB labour market researchers.

"Demand on the labour market is still failing to pick up and is stagnating at a low level," IAB expert Alexander Kubis said.

For every 100 job vacancies advertised by companies nationwide, 288 people were registered as unemployed, the institute found, up by 68 unemployed people from the same quarter last year and 11 more than in the second quarter of 2025.

Around 80% of vacancies recorded in the third quarter were to be filled immediately, meaning the vacancy rate, which reflects the ratio of vacancies to be filled immediately to the total demand for labour, stood at 2.3%.

"Compared to the peak of 4.5% in the fourth quarter of 2022, the vacancy rate has almost halved and is also an indicator of a weakening labour market," said Kubis.

The IAB surveyed 8,591 employers across all sectors for its analysis.