The labour market in November 2011 
Employment remaining at high level
The positive trend of employment and unemployment in Germany continued in November 2011. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the number of persons in employment living in Germany reached another record high (41.6 million). The number of unemployed amounted to some 2.36 million in November 2011. That was a decline of about 310,000 on November 2010.
According to provisional results of employment accounts, the number of persons in employment rose by 498,000 or 1.2% in November 2011 on November 2010. Compared with October 2011, the number of persons in employment was up by 38,000 or 0.1% in November 2011. Upon seasonal adjustment, that is, after elimination of the usual seasonal fluctuations, the increase amounts to 50,000 people (+0.1%).
In addition to the first calculation of the number of persons in employment for the current reference month of November 2011, the monthly employment results published so far were recalculated back to January 2011 within the scope of the first preliminary estimation of a result for the entire year of 2011 (see press release 1/12 of 2 January 2012). The recalculation produced year-on-year rates of change which, at the level of the overall economy, are up to 0.2 percentage points higher than the previous calculation results.
According to results of the labour force survey, the number of unemployed was down 11.6% in November 2011 on November 2010. It declined by 310,000 to 2.36 million. Compared with October 2011, the number of unemployed increased by 140,000 or 6.3%. When adjusted for seasonal and irregular effects (trend cycle component), the number of unemployed declined by 50,000 to 2.34 million in November 2011 from October 2011 (–2.1%).
The adjusted unemployment rate was 5.5% in November 2011. Thus it declined by 1.2 percentage points on November 2010. Compared with October 2011, it was down by 0.1 percentage points.
Methodological notes:
Persons in employment and unemployed persons are counted according to the employment status concept of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Therefore, unemployment as shown here must not be confused with registered unemployment as published by the Federal Employment Agency.
The number of persons in employment as obtained in employment accounts and that from the labour force survey differ from each other. The differences are mainly due to the different methods and procedures applied in the two statistical systems.
In employment accounts, the total number of persons in employment is estimated using all sources available (currently about 60 sources). The labour force survey is a continuous household survey (currently integrated in the microcensus), which is conducted every year among one percent of the population in Germany. It involves the obligation to provide information and is harmonised across the EU. The number of persons in employment obtained by the labour force survey is smaller than that of employment accounts because, as experience shows, it is difficult in household surveys to entirely cover smaller activities, for example those performed by pupils and students. According to the international definition, such activities are considered as employment, too. Nevertheless, in the European Statistical System, the results of the labour force survey are used as a standard basis for calculating unemployment rates.
For further methodological information on the calculation of the unemployment rate and on the estimation of adjusted results, please refer to the notes on monthly unemployment reporting as from reference month March 2011: Revision of the monthly harmonised unemployment figures for Germany
Please also note the detailed methodological explanations on the changeover of employment accounts to the WZ 2008 as part of the 2011 national accounts revision: Notes on the changeover of employment accounts to the Classification of Economic Activities, 2008 edition, as part of the revision of national accounts (2011 national accounts revision)
Detailed data and long time series on the persons in employment according to employment accounts and on unemployed persons are available free of charge from the tables "Erwerbstätige aus der Erwerbstätigenrechnung" (13321-0001) and "Erwerbstätige und Erwerbslose aus der Arbeitskräfteerhebung" (13231-0001) in the GENESIS-Online database .
For further information please contact:
Labour market statistics
Phone: +49 611 75 4868
Time of Service: Monday to Thursday 8am to 5pm, Friday 8am to 3pm
Publications
STATmagazin