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Press release No.068 / 2008-02-21


Considerable job growth continuing in the 4th quarter of 2007


WIESBADEN – According to provisional results of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of persons in employment whose place of employment was in Germany amounted to about 40.3 million. That was an increase of 617,000 persons or 1.6% on the previous year. The number of persons in employment hence exceeded 40 million for the first time in a quarter of a year since German reunification. Job growth thus accelerated slightly again in the fourth quarter, following decreasing year-on-year growth rates in the second and third quarters (+1.7% and +1.5%) compared with the first quarter of 2007 (+1.9%).
 
Compared with the previous quarter, employment saw a considerable increase of 396,000 persons (+1.0%) in the fourth quarter of 2007. It even exceeded the strong growth recorded in the fourth quarter of 2006 (+381,000 persons) and almost reached the all-time high of a fourth quarter which was recorded in 1999 (+400,000 persons).
Upon seasonal adjustment, that is the elimination of seasonal fluctuations, the number of persons in employment in the fourth quarter of 2007 showed an increase of 106,000 or 0.3% compared with the previous quarter.
 
Not all economic sectors could profit from the positive development of the labour market in the fourth quarter of 2007. For the first time in six quarters, the number of jobs again declined in construction (–3,000 persons or –0.1%) compared with the same quarter a year earlier. However, the situation was favourable in the service sector as a whole – including trade, hotel and restaurant services, transport, financial, renting and business activities, and other service activities. That sector had the biggest share in job growth. In the fourth quarter of 2007, growth (+490,000 persons in employment or +1.7%) accelerated again in absolute terms on a year earlier (third quarter of 2007: +479,000 persons or +1.7%). In industry (including energy), the year-on-year level of employment has continuously risen since the first quarter of 2007. In the fourth quarter, the increase amounted to 123,000 persons (+1.6%). In agriculture and forestry, the number of persons in employment was up by 7,000 (+0.8%) in the reference quarter.
 
Employees profited most from the favourable economic situation. Their number increased by 1.6% to 35.8 million persons compared to the fourth quarter of 2006. Again, that rise was mainly based on the further growth in jobs subject to social insurance contributions. The number of self-employed including family workers was up 0.9% to about 4.4 million persons in the reference quarter.
 
According to first provisional results of the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency (BA), the number of hours worked per person in employment in the fourth quarter of 2007 was down 0.3% to 360.8 hours on a year earlier. At the same time, the total number of hours worked – number of persons in employment multiplied by hours worked per person in employment – was up 1.2% to 14.5 billion hours.

In addition to the first calculation of the number of persons in employment and of the number of hours worked for the fourth quarter of 2007, the results published so far have been revised, starting with the second quarter of 2007, as part of the regular revision of national accounts. The recalculation resulted in an employment figure revision of a maximum –0.1% compared with the previous state of computation.

The current national accounts data on employment by quarters and years are available on the website of Destatis (path: Topics --> Labour market --> Persons in Employment --> Tables).
  
Persons in employment whose place of employment is in Germany
and hours worked 1)
Year,
quarter		Persons in
employment,
total		Agricul-
ture,
forestry
and
fishing		Industry,
including
energy		Construc-
tion		Service
activities 2)		Hours worked 3)
per
person in employment		by
persons in employment
1) For persons in employment: Annual and quarterly averages.
2) Trade, hotel and restaurant services, transport, financial, renting and business activities, other service activities.
3) Source: Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (Institute for Employment Research) of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Institute for Employment), Nuremberg.
Persons in 1,000Hoursmn hours
200438,8808738,0202,25427,7331,441.656,049
200538,8468507,8842,16527,9471,434.955,740
2006 39,0888417,8092,15928,2791,432.756,001
2007 39,7378507,9052,19928,7831,433.056,943
20061st quarter38,4187777,7602,02727,854367.914,134
2nd quarter38,9618637,7742,14328,181339.913,243
3rd quarter39,2978807,8212,22228,374362.914,261
4th quarter39,6788467,8822,24328,707361.914,359
20071st quarter39,1377897,8272,13328,388368.914,438
2nd quarter39,6178737,8582,19128,695340.413,486
3rd quarter39,8998867,9302,23028,853363.014,483
4th quarter40,2958538,0052,24029,197360.814,538
Change in % on the corresponding period of the previous year
20040.4–0.8–1.5–2.91.30.20.6
2005–0.1–2.6–1.7–3.90.8–0.5–0.6
20060.6–1.1–1.0–0.31.2–0.20.5
20071.71.11.21.91.80.01.7
20061st quarter0.0–1.9–1.7–2.40.81.01.0
2nd quarter0.6–0.6–1.2–0.51.3–1.2–0.5
3rd quarter0.9–0.8–0.60.41.4–0.40.5
4th quarter1.0–1.1–0.31.31.3–0.10.8
20071st quarter1.91.50.95.21.90.32.2
2nd quarter1.71.21.12.21.80.11.8
3rd quarter1.50.71.40.41.70.01.6
4th quarter1.60.81.6–0.11.7–0.31.2


>>> brief methodological description "Persons engaged in economic activity in national accounts"

>>> brief methodological description "Hours worked and total hours worked in national accounts"

For further information please call:
Michael Braig,
tel: (+49-611) 75-2932,



 




For more details please refer to the German version.


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© Federal Statistical Office of Germany
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Version: 2.25.5 / 20.10.2008