The unemployment rate rose in January by 0.4 percentage points to 6.3 percent
The number of unemployed in Germany rose by 193,000 to 2.901 million in January, as is usual for the season. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points to 6.3 percent in January, announced the Federal Employment Agency in Nuremberg on Friday. The January increase was even slightly lower this year than in the previous year. From December 2019 to January 2020, the number of unemployed rose by 198,000.
For the first time, the effects of the current corona-related lockdown have been taken into account in labor market statistics. The employment agency recorded data for its statistics by January 13th.
Compared to the same month last year, however, unemployment rose significantly. In January 2021, 475,000 more people were unemployed than in January 2020, as the Federal Agency further announced. “All in all, the job market in January was in robust shape. The measures to contain the corona pandemic are leaving their mark,” said the Federal Agency's chairman, Detlef Scheele.
In the period from January 1st to 25th, 78,000 companies reportedly registered short-time work for 745,000 people – but this does not correspond to the actual number of short-time workers; The most recent valid figures on short-time work actually implemented come from November. This month the Federal Agency paid short-time work benefits for 2.26 million people.
