Press release No. 049 of 18 February 2020
Persons in employment with place of employment in Germany, 4th quarter of 2019
+0.7% on the same quarter one year earlier
+0.4% on the previous quarter
+0.2 % on the previous quarter (seasonally adjusted)
WIESBADEN – There were roughly 45.5 million people in employment in the fourth quarter of 2019 whose place of employment was in Germany. According to provisional calculations of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of persons in employment rose by 301,000, or 0.7%, on the fourth quarter of 2018. Although employment growth continued on the German labour market, it slowed in the course of 2019. In the first quarter of 2019 the year-on-year rate of increase was 1.1%, in the second quarter 1.0% and in the third quarter 0.8%.
Compared with the third quarter of 2019, the number of persons in employment rose by 183,000 (+0.4%). This increase was smaller than the relevant average for a fourth quarter in the past five years (+219,000 people). After seasonal adjustment, that is, after the elimination of the usual seasonal fluctuations, the number of persons in employment increased by 80,000 (+0.2%) in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with the previous quarter.
Employment in industry down for the first time in nine years
The year-on-year rise in employment was again owing mainly to the service sector in the fourth quarter of 2019. The largest absolute employment gains were recorded for public services, education, health (+214,000 people or +1.9%), followed by information and communication (+46,000 people or +3.4%) and trade, transport, accommodation and food services (+43,000 people or +0.4%). However, employment continued to decline in business services, which include employment activities (-22,000 people or -0.4%). The number of persons in employment decreased again also in financial and insurance activities (-9,000 or -0.8%).
Employment in industry (excluding construction) fell for the first time in nine years in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with the same quarter a year earlier (-10,000 people or -0.1%). Employment in the construction industry increased by 26,000 people (+1.0%). In agriculture, forestry and fishing, the number of persons in employment was down by 16,000 (-2.7%).
Again more employees, fewer self-employed
Employment growth was again mainly due to an increase in the number of employees, which rose by 397,000 (+1.0%) to 41.44 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with the same quarter of 2018. 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 96,000 (-2.3%) to 4.11 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 on the same period a year earlier.
Number of hours worked down 0.1%
The average number of hours worked per person in employment decreased by 0.8% to 347.8 hours in the fourth 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, fell by 0.1% to 15.8 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 fourth quarter of 2019, the results published so far for the first three 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 three quarters.
According to information released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, on 14 February 2020, employment rose somewhat more in the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) and the euro area than in Germany in the fourth 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. 2 Results of employment accounts as part of national accounts; persons in employment whose place of employment is in Germany (domestic concept). 3 Source: Institute for Employment Research of the Federal Employment Agency, Nuremberg. 4 Including family workers. 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 | |
| 2019 | 45,251 | 41,102 | 4,149 | 62,720 | 1,386.1 | |
| 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 | 40,703 | 4,186 | 15,967 | 355.7 |
| 2nd qtr | 45,208 | 41,047 | 4,161 | 14,840 | 328.3 | |
| 3rd qtr | 45,362 | 41,216 | 4,146 | 16,072 | 354.3 | |
| 4thqtr | 45,545 | 41,440 | 4,105 | 15,841 | 347.8 | |
| Change in % 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 | |
| 2019 | 0.9 | 1.2 | -1.8 | 0.6 | -0.3 | |
| 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 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 1.0 | 1.2 | -1.6 | -0.0 | -1.0 | |
| 3rd qtr | 0.8 | 1.0 | -1.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | |
| 4th qtr | 0.7 | 1.0 | -2.3 | -0.1 | -0.8 | |
| Sector of economic activity 2 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th 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 | 615 | 608 | 597 | 566 | 637 | 614 | 566 |
| Industry, excluding construction | 8,175 | 8,315 | 8,368 | 8,352 | 8,352 | 8,381 | 8,388 |
| including: | |||||||
| Manufacturing | 7,594 | 7,725 | 7,766 | 7,756 | 7,753 | 7,777 | 7,782 |
| Construction | 2,479 | 2,515 | 2,552 | 2,504 | 2,547 | 2,573 | 2,583 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 10,044 | 10,169 | 10,227 | 10,133 | 10,225 | 10,267 | 10,297 |
| Information and communication | 1,283 | 1,322 | 1,370 | 1,351 | 1,363 | 1,375 | 1,390 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 1,130 | 1,111 | 1,102 | 1,103 | 1,099 | 1,101 | 1,104 |
| Real estate activities | 473 | 476 | 482 | 479 | 482 | 484 | 483 |
| Business services | 6,139 | 6,225 | 6,206 | 6,166 | 6,192 | 6,231 | 6,230 |
| Public services, education, health | 10,919 | 11,112 | 11,319 | 11,234 | 11,275 | 11,295 | 11,463 |
| Other services | 2,991 | 3,001 | 3,028 | 3,001 | 3,036 | 3,038 | 3,041 |
| Change in % on the corresponding period of the previous year | |||||||
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -1.3 | -1.1 | -1.8 | -0.7 | -2.5 | -1.6 | -2.7 |
| Industry, excluding construction | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | -0.1 |
| including: | |||||||
| Manufacturing | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Construction | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Information and communication | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
| Financial and insurance activities | -2.7 | -1.7 | -0.8 | -1.1 | -0.8 | -0.7 | -0.8 |
| Real estate activities | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Business services | 2.8 | 1.4 | -0.3 | 0.1 | -0.4 | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| Public services, education, health | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Other services | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
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).
