Press release No. 312 of 20 August 2019
WIESBADEN – Employment continued to increase in the second quarter of 2019 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 45.2 million, which was again above the previous year's level. Compared with the second quarter of 2018, the number of persons in employment increased by 435,000 or 1.0%. The year-on-year growth rate was slightly lower in the second quarter than in the first quarter of 2019 (+1.1%) and in the fourth quarter of 2018 (+1.3%).
Spring upturn in the labour market lower than average of the past five years
Compared with the first quarter of 2019, the number of persons in employment rose by 324,000 (+0.7%). Seasonal growth in employment is typical in the second quarter of a year due to the general increase in outdoor work in spring. The spring upturn in 2019 was lower than the relevant average of the past five years (+423,000 people). After seasonal adjustment, that is, after the elimination of the usual seasonal fluctuations, the number of persons in employment increased by 50,000, or 0.1%, in the second quarter of 2019 compared with the previous quarter.
Continued decline in self-employment
More and more people in Germany take up dependent employment. Compared with the same period a year earlier, the number of employees increased by 497,000 (+1.2%) to slightly more than 41 million in the second quarter of 2019. However, self-employment continued to decrease. The number of self-employed including family workers declined by 62,000 (-1.5%) to 4.17 million in the second quarter of 2019 on the same period a year earlier.
Strongest growth in the service sector
The year-on-year rise in the total number of persons in employment in the second quarter of 2019 was mainly due to the growth in the service sector. The largest absolute employment gains within the service sector were recorded for public services, education, health (+203,000 people or +1.8%), followed by trade, transport, accommodation and food services (+75,000 or +0.7%) and information and communication (+41,000 or +3.1%). However, employment continued to decline in financial and insurance activities (-12,000 people or -1.1%). For the first time since 2009, business services, which include employment activities, recorded a decline in the number of persons in employment (-16,000 people or -0.3%). In industry (excluding construction), the number of persons in employment in the second quarter of 2019 increased by 84,000 (+1.0%), in construction by 40,000 (+1.6%) compared with the same quarter a year earlier. In agriculture, forestry and fishing, the number of persons in employment decreased by 14,000 (-2.1%).
Total hours worked unchanged despite more persons in employment
According to first provisional results of the Institute for Employment Research of the Federal Employment Agency, the average number of hours worked per person in employment was down 1.0% to 328.3 hours in the second quarter of 2019 year on year. The total number of hours worked, that is, the number of persons in employment multiplied by the hours worked per person in employment, amounted to 14.8 billion hours in the second quarter of 2019, as in the same period a year earlier.
Recalculation of the employment time series as part of the 2019 major revision of national accounts
With today's release of the results for the second quarter of 2019, the Federal Statistical Office has presented time series as from 1991 on employment in Germany and on hours of work and total hours worked as calculated by the Institute for Employment Research which were recalculated as part of the 2019 major revision of national accounts.
The 2019 major revision of national accounts has led to a slight increase in levels of the persons-in-employment time series. Over the entire revision period from 1991, the number of persons in employment in Germany has been revised upwards by an average of roughly 31,000 people (+0.1%). The information previously published about the short-term development of employment in Germany has been confirmed.
A mean absolute revision of 0.1 percentage points has been calculated for the year-on-year rates of change of the quarterly results.
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 | 44,887 | 40,701 | 4,186 | 15,960 | 355.6 |
| 2nd qtr | 45,211 | 41,046 | 4,165 | 14,843 | 328.3 | |
| 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 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 1.0 | 1.2 | -1.5 | 0.0 | -1.0 | |
| Sector of economic activity 2 | 2018 | 2018 | 2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr | 2nd 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 | 562 | 639 |
| Industry, excluding construction | 8,315 | 8,238 | 8,270 | 8,355 | 8,398 | 8,355 | 8,354 |
| including: | |||||||
| Manufacturing | 7,725 | 7,651 | 7,681 | 7,762 | 7,800 | 7,760 | 7,757 |
| Construction | 2,515 | 2,459 | 2,506 | 2,541 | 2,557 | 2,503 | 2,546 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 10,169 | 10,044 | 10,160 | 10,219 | 10,254 | 10,135 | 10,235 |
| Information and communication | 1,322 | 1,304 | 1,315 | 1,325 | 1,344 | 1,350 | 1,356 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 1,111 | 1,115 | 1,108 | 1,109 | 1,113 | 1,103 | 1,096 |
| Real estate activities | 476 | 473 | 474 | 477 | 479 | 478 | 479 |
| Business services | 6,225 | 6,161 | 6,216 | 6,270 | 6,252 | 6,166 | 6,200 |
| Public services, education, health | 11,112 | 11,041 | 11,071 | 11,086 | 11,249 | 11,235 | 11,274 |
| Other services | 3,001 | 2,975 | 3,003 | 3,007 | 3,016 | 3,000 | 3,032 |
| Percentage Change on the corresponding period of the previous year | |||||||
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -1.1 | -1.7 | 0.0 | -1.3 | -0.9 | -1.4 | -2.1 |
| Industry, excluding construction | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| including: | |||||||
| Manufacturing | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| Construction | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Information and communication | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
| Financial and insurance activities | -1.7 | -1.8 | -1.9 | -1.4 | -1.3 | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| Real estate activities | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Business services | 1.4 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Public services, education, health | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Other services | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Year, quarter1 | New result | Previous result | Difference | New result | Previous result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Col.1–2) | (Col.3:2) | ||||||
| absolute | % | % change on the previous year | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
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 (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency, Nuremberg | |||||||
| Persons in employment in the domestic territory, thousands 2 | |||||||
| 2016 | 43,655 | 43,642 | 13 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | |
| 2017 | 44,248 | 44,269 | -21 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | |
| 2018 | 44,854 | 44,841 | 13 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.3 | |
| 2016 | 1st qtr | 43,131 | 43,087 | 44 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| 2nd qtr | 43,568 | 43,563 | 5 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | |
| 3rd qtr | 43,830 | 43,842 | -12 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | |
| 4th qtr | 44,091 | 44,076 | 15 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | |
| 2017 | 1st qtr | 43,720 | 43,729 | -9 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| 2nd qtr | 44,153 | 44,195 | -42 | -0.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | |
| 3rd qtr | 44,436 | 44,479 | -43 | -0.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | |
| 4th qtr | 44,684 | 44,672 | 12 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | |
| 2018 | 1st qtr | 44,380 | 44,370 | 10 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 2nd qtr | 44,776 | 44,783 | -7 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.3 | |
| 3rd qtr | 45,016 | 45,015 | 1 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | |
| 4th qtr | 45,244 | 45,195 | 49 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | |
| 2019 | 1st qtr | 44,887 | 44,851 | 36 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| 2nd qtr | 45,211 | X | X | X | 1.0 | X | |
| Hours worked, total (mn hours)3 | |||||||
| 2016 | 60,888 | 59,477 | 1,411 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | |
| 2017 | 61,564 | 60,222 | 1,342 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | |
| 2018 | 62,344 | 61,086 | 1,258 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | |
| 2016 | 1st qtr | 15,281 | 14,856 | 425 | 2.9 | 0.0 | -0.2 |
| 2nd qtr | 14,542 | 14,304 | 238 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.8 | |
| 3rd qtr | 15,583 | 15,215 | 367 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 | |
| 4th qtr | 15,482 | 15,101 | 380 | 2.5 | 0.1 | -0.1 | |
| 2017 | 1st qtr | 15,699 | 15,351 | 348 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 14,522 | 14,237 | 286 | 2.0 | -0.1 | -0.5 | |
| 3rd qtr | 15,742 | 15,424 | 317 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.4 | |
| 4th qtr | 15,601 | 15,210 | 391 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | |
| 2018 | 1st qtr | 15,732 | 15,381 | 351 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 2nd qtr | 14,844 | 14,580 | 264 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.4 | |
| 3rd qtr | 15,908 | 15,647 | 261 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.4 | |
| 4th qtr | 15,860 | 15,479 | 381 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 | |
| 2019 | 1st qtr | 15,960 | 15,606 | 354 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 2nd qtr | 14,843 | X | X | X | 0.0 | X | |
| Hours worked per person in employment (hours) 3 | |||||||
| 2016 | 1,394.8 | 1,362.8 | 32.0 | 2.3 | -0.4 | -0.5 | |
| 2017 | 1,391.3 | 1,360.4 | 30.9 | 2.3 | -0.3 | -0.2 | |
| 2018 | 1,389.9 | 1,362.3 | 27.6 | 2.0 | -0.1 | 0.1 | |
| 2016 | 1st qtr | 354.3 | 344.8 | 9.5 | 2.8 | -1.2 | -1.5 |
| 2nd qtr | 333.8 | 328.4 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 1.5 | |
| 3rd qtr | 355.5 | 347.1 | 8.4 | 2.4 | -0.2 | -0.4 | |
| 4th qtr | 351.1 | 342.6 | 8.5 | 2.5 | -1.1 | -1.4 | |
| 2017 | 1st qtr | 359.1 | 351.1 | 8.0 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| 2nd qtr | 328.9 | 322.1 | 6.8 | 2.1 | -1.5 | -1.9 | |
| 3rd qtr | 354.3 | 346.8 | 7.5 | 2.2 | -0.3 | -0.1 | |
| 4th qtr | 349.1 | 340.5 | 8.6 | 2.5 | -0.6 | -0.6 | |
| 2018 | 1st qtr | 354.5 | 346.7 | 7.8 | 2.2 | -1.3 | -1.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 331.5 | 325.6 | 5.9 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | |
| 3rd qtr | 353.4 | 347.6 | 5.8 | 1.7 | -0.3 | 0.2 | |
| 4th qtr | 350.6 | 342.5 | 8.1 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | |
| 2019 | 1st qtr | 355.6 | 347.9 | 7.7 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 328.3 | X | X | X | -1.0 | X | |
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).
