Press release No. 442 of 18 November 2019
WIESBADEN – In the third quarter of 2019, the number of persons in employment whose place of employment was in Germany stood at 45.4 million, which was the highest level since German reunification in 1990. According to provisional calculations of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of persons in employment rose by 356,000, or 0.8%, on the same quarter of the previous year due to the beginning autumn upturn in the labour market. Although employment growth continued, it slowed in the course of 2019. The year-on-year change rate had been 1.1% in the first quarter of 2019 and 1.0% in the second quarter of 2019.
Compared with the second quarter of 2019, the number of persons in employment rose by 151,000 (+0.3%). This increase was smaller than the relevant average for a third quarter in the past five years (+255,000). After seasonal adjustment, that is, after the elimination of the usual seasonal fluctuations, the number of persons in employment increased by 37,000 (+0.1%) in the third quarter of 2019 compared with the previous quarter.
Stable increase in the number of employees
More and more people take up dependent employment. The number of employees increased by 427,000 (+1.0%) in the third quarter of 2019 compared with the same quarter of 2018, reaching 41.22 million. The development was based on a continuous increase in the number of employees subject to social insurance contributions. However, there was a decrease in the number of persons only employed in marginal jobs (persons employed on a low-pay basis, persons employed on a short-term basis, persons in job opportunities). The decline in self-employment continued, too. The number of self-employed including family workers declined by 71,000 (-1.7%) to 4.15 million in the third quarter of 2019 on the same period a year earlier.
Highest increases again in the service sector
As in the previous quarters, the year-on-year rise in the total number of persons in employment in the third quarter of 2019 was mainly due to the growth in the service sector. The largest absolute employment gains were recorded for public services, education, health (+201,000 people or +1.8%), followed by trade, transport, accommodation and food services (+54,000 or +0.5%) and information and communication (+49,000 or +3.7%). However, employment continued to decline in business services, which include employment activities (-38,000 people or -0.6%). Furthermore, the number of persons in employment decreased again in financial and insurance activities (-10,000 or -0,9%). In industry (excluding construction), the number of persons in employment was up by 36,000 (+0.4%) and in construction by 35,000 (+1.4%) in the third quarter of 2019 compared with a year earlier. By contrast, employment was down in agriculture, forestry and fishing (-12,000 people or -1.9%).
Total hours worked up 0.9 percent
The average number of hours worked per person in employment rose by 0.1% to 353.9 hours in the third quarter of 2019 compared with the same quarter a year earlier according to first provisional results of the Institute for Employment Research of the Federal Employment Agency. The total number of hours worked, that is, the number of persons in employment multiplied by the hours worked per person in employment, increased by 0.9% to 16.1 billion hours in the same period.
Note on the results published earlier
In addition to the first calculation of the number of persons in employment and the number of hours worked for the third quarter of 2019, the results published so far for the first and second quarters of 2019 were recalculated as part of the regular revision of national accounts. The recalculation did not lead to any change in the year-on-year change rates of the employment figures for the first and second quarters of 2019.
Based on information released by Eurostat - the Statistical Office of the European Union - on 14 November 2019, employment increased more markedly in the 28 Member States of the European Union and the euro area than in Germany in the third quarter of 2019 on a year earlier. The rate of increase was 0.9% in the EU and 1.0% in the euro area.
| Year, quarter 1 | Persons in employment 2 | Hours worked 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| total | employees | self- employed 4 | by persons in employment | per person in employment | ||
| persons in 1,000 | mn hours | hours | ||||
1 For persons in employment: annual and/or quarterly averages. qtr = quarter | ||||||
| 2016 | 43,655 | 39,313 | 4,342 | 60,888 | 1,394.8 | |
| 2017 | 44,248 | 39,976 | 4,272 | 61,564 | 1,391.3 | |
| 2018 | 44,854 | 40,631 | 4,223 | 62,344 | 1,389.9 | |
| 2016 | 1st qtr | 43,131 | 38,762 | 4,369 | 15,281 | 354.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 43.568 | 39,221 | 4,347 | 14,542 | 333.8 | |
| 3rd qtr | 43,830 | 39,490 | 4,340 | 15,583 | 355.5 | |
| 4th qtr | 44,091 | 39,779 | 4,312 | 15,482 | 351.1 | |
| 2017 | 1st qtr | 43,720 | 39,426 | 4,294 | 15,699 | 359.1 |
| 2nd qtr | 44,153 | 39,879 | 4,274 | 14,522 | 328.9 | |
| 3rd qtr | 44,436 | 40,165 | 4,271 | 15,742 | 354.3 | |
| 4th qtr | 44,684 | 40,433 | 4,251 | 15,601 | 349.1 | |
| 2018 | 1st qtr | 44,380 | 40,138 | 4,242 | 15,732 | 354.5 |
| 2nd qtr | 44,776 | 40,549 | 4,227 | 14,844 | 331.5 | |
| 3rd qtr | 45,016 | 40,792 | 4,224 | 15,908 | 353.4 | |
| 4th qtr | 45,244 | 41,043 | 4,201 | 15,860 | 350.6 | |
| 2019 | 1st qtr | 44,889 | 40,704 | 4,185 | 15,953 | 355.4 |
| 2nd qtr | 45,221 | 41,056 | 4,165 | 14,824 | 327.8 | |
| 3rd qtr | 45,372 | 41,219 | 4,153 | 16,058 | 353.9 | |
| Percentage Change on the corresponding period of the previous year | ||||||
| 2016 | 1.2 | 1.5 | -1.4 | 0.8 | -0.4 | |
| 2017 | 1.4 | 1.7 | -1.6 | 1.1 | -0.3 | |
| 2018 | 1.4 | 1.6 | -1.1 | 1.3 | -0.1 | |
| 2016 | 1st qtr | 1.3 | 1.6 | -1.3 | 0.0 | -1.2 |
| 2nd qtr | 1.2 | 1.5 | -1.4 | 2.1 | 0.9 | |
| 3rd qtr | 1.2 | 1.5 | -1.4 | 1.0 | -0.2 | |
| 4th qtr | 1.3 | 1.6 | -1.6 | 0.1 | -1.1 | |
| 2017 | 1st qtr | 1.4 | 1.7 | -1.7 | 2.7 | 1.4 |
| 2nd qtr | 1.3 | 1.7 | -1.7 | -0.1 | -1.5 | |
| 3rd qtr | 1.4 | 1.7 | -1.6 | 1.0 | -0.3 | |
| 4th qtr | 1.3 | 1.6 | -1.4 | 0.8 | -0.6 | |
| 2018 | 1st qtr | 1.5 | 1.8 | -1.2 | 0.2 | -1.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 1.4 | 1.7 | -1.1 | 2.2 | 0.8 | |
| 3rd qtr | 1.3 | 1.6 | -1.1 | 1.1 | -0.3 | |
| 4th qtr | 1.3 | 1.5 | -1.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | |
| 2019 | 1st qtr | 1.1 | 1.4 | -1.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 1.0 | 1.3 | -1.5 | -0.1 | -1.1 | |
| 3rd qtr | 0.8 | 1.0 | -1.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 | |
| Sector of economic activity 2 | 2018 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | ||
| 1 Results of employment accounts as part of national accounts (domestic concept); annual and quarterly averages. 2 Classification of Economic Activities, 2008 edition (WZ 2008). qtr = quarter | ||||||||
| Persons in 1,000 | ||||||||
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 608 | 570 | 653 | 627 | 582 | 565 | 641 | 615 |
| Industry, excluding construction | 8,315 | 8,238 | 8,270 | 8,355 | 8,398 | 8,352 | 8,352 | 8,391 |
| including: | ||||||||
| Manufacturing | 7,725 | 7,651 | 7,681 | 7,762 | 7,800 | 7,756 | 7,752 | 7,787 |
| Construction | 2,515 | 2,459 | 2,506 | 2,541 | 2,557 | 2,504 | 2,548 | 2,576 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 10,169 | 10,044 | 10,160 | 10,219 | 10,254 | 10,133 | 10,236 | 10,273 |
| Information and communication | 1,322 | 1,304 | 1,315 | 1,325 | 1,344 | 1,351 | 1,363 | 1,374 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 1,111 | 1,115 | 1,108 | 1,109 | 1,113 | 1,103 | 1,098 | 1,099 |
| Real estate activities | 476 | 473 | 474 | 477 | 479 | 479 | 481 | 483 |
| Business services | 6,225 | 6,161 | 6,216 | 6,270 | 6,252 | 6,167 | 6,193 | 6,232 |
| Public services, education, health | 11,112 | 11,041 | 11,071 | 11,086 | 11,249 | 11,234 | 11,274 | 11,287 |
| Other services | 3,001 | 2,975 | 3,003 | 3,007 | 3,016 | 3,001 | 3,035 | 3,042 |
| Percentage Change on the corresponding period of the previous year | ||||||||
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -1.1 | -1.7 | 0.0 | -1.3 | -0.9 | -0.9 | -1.8 | -1.9 |
| Industry, excluding construction | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| including: | ||||||||
| Manufacturing | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Construction | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Information and communication | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Financial and insurance activities | -1.7 | -1.8 | -1.9 | -1.4 | -1.3 | -1.1 | -0.9 | -0.9 |
| Real estate activities | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Business services | 1.4 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.4 | -0.6 |
| Public services, education, health | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Other services | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
Detailed data and long time series on persons in employment and the number of hours worked are available in the GENESIS-Online database in the tables on national accounts of the Federation (81000-0012 and 81000-0016) and on the labour market (13321).
