Press July 2017: employment up 1.6% on a year earlier

Press release No. 303 of 31 August 2017

WIESBADEN – In July 2017, roughly 44.2 million persons resident in Germany were in employment according to provisional calculations of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Compared with July 2016, the number of persons in employment increased by 688,000 or 1.6%. In all months of the first half of 2017, the year-on-year growth rates had been 1.5%, too. Roughly 1.5 million people were unemployed in July 2017, 263,000 fewer than a year earlier.

According to provisional results of the employment accounts, the number of persons in employment rose by 1,000 in July 2017 month on month. The increase from June to July 2017 was smaller than the relevant average of the past five years (+10,000 people). After seasonal adjustment, that is, after the elimination of the usual seasonal fluctuations, the number of persons in employment increased by 42,000, or 0.1%, in July 2017 month on month.

Results of the labour force survey show that 1.55 million people were unemployed in July 2017. Compared with the previous month, their number declined by 18,000 or 0.6%. Adjusted for seasonal and irregular effects, the number of unemployed stood at 1.59 million. It was down from the previous month by approximately 27,000 people. The adjusted unemployment rate was 3.7% in July 2017.

Detailed data and long time series are available from the GENESIS-Online database. The data on persons in employment from employment accounts are available in tables 13321-0001 (months) and 13321-0002 (quarters) and 81000-0011 (years). Data on persons in employment and unemployed persons from the labour force survey can be found in tables 13231-0001 (months).

I. Employment accounts
Persons in employment whose place of residence is in Germany 1
YearMonthOriginal valuesSeasonally adjusted 2
personschange on
previous month
change on the
same month of
the previous year
personschange on
previous month
in millionin %in millionin %
1 Results of employment accounts as part of national accounting: persons in employment whose place of residence is in Germany (resident concept). The respective time series for persons in employment whose place of work is in Germany (domestic concept) are presented here.
2 Seasonal adjustment by Census X-12-Arima.
2014January42.159–0.70.742.4630.2
February42.2050.10.842.5060.1
March42.3180.30.942.5240.0
April42.4830.41.042.5740.1
May42.5810.20.942.5800.0
June42.6340.10.942.6070.1
July42.6500.00.942.6480.1
August42.6670.00.842.6380.0
September42.8660.50.842.6650.1
October42.9770.30.842.7010.1
November42.9670.00.742.6860.0
December42.780–0.40.742.7110.1
2015January42.427–0.80.642.7320.0
February42.4750.10.642.7720.1
March42.6400.40.842.8360.1
April42.8030.40.842.8870.1
May42.9230.30.842.9200.1
June43.0060.20.942.9730.1
July43.0340.10.943.0300.1
August43.0810.11.043.0560.1
September43.2950.51.043.0960.1
October43.4000.21.043.1290.1
November43.4750.21.243.1990.2
December43.323–0.31.343.2560.1
2016January42.975–0.81.343.2870.1
February43.0470.21.343.3440.1
March43.2120.41.343.4010.1
April43.3480.31.343.4290.1
May43.4750.31.343.4700.1
June43.5500.21.343.5110.1
July43.520–0.11.143.5170.0
August43.6270.21.343.6040.2
September43.8570.51.343.6580.1
October43.9650.21.343.6980.1
November44.0470.21.343.7710.2
December43.914–0.31.443.8460.2
2017January43.610–0.71.543.9270.2
February43.6790.21.543.9800.1
March43.8420.41.544.0290.1
April43.9900.31.544.0690.1
May44.1230.31.544.1170.1
June44.2070.21.544.1640.1
July44.2080.01.644.2060.1

  

II. Labour force survey
Unemployed persons and persons in employment 1
Juny
2017
Previous monthSame month of the previous year
June
2017
ChangeJuly
2016
Change
1 Persons in households aged 15 to 74 years. Extrapolated on the basis of key population figures from the 2011 Census.
2 Share of unemployed in the labour force (persons in employment and unemployed) aged 15 to 74 years.
3 Share of persons in employment in all persons aged 15 to 74 years.
4 Trend cycle component (X-12-ARIMA method using JDemetra+; calculation by Eurostat).
Original values
in millionin %in millionin %
Unemployed persons1.551.56–0.61.81–14.4
Persons in employment41.1641.39–0.640.970.5
shares in %in %shares in %in %
Unemployment rate 23.63.60.04.2–14.3
Employment rate 366.566.9–0.666.20.5
Adjusted results 4
in millionin %in millionin %
Unemployed persons1.591.61–1.21.80–11.7
Persons in employment41.3241.250.241.090.6
shares in %in percentage pointsshares in %in percentage points
Unemployment rate 23.73.8–0.14.2–0.5
including: 
Men4.14.2–0.14.6–0.5
Women3.23.3–0.13.8–0.6
Persons aged under 25 years6.56.6–0.17.0–0.5
Persons aged 25 to 74 years3.43.5–0.13.9–0.5
Employment rate 366.866.60.266.40.4

Methodological notes:
As of reference year 2016, the sample of the microcensus, and of the labour force survey integrated in it, has been put on the 2011 Census data basis. Due to this changeover, the comparability of the results of the microcensus 2016 with those of previous years is limited. More details.

The number of persons in employment as obtained in the employment accounts and that from the labour force survey differ. The differences are due to the different concepts applied in the two statistical systems. For more information on the background of the differences in results between the labour force survey and the employment accounts.

Persons in employment and unemployed persons are counted according to the employment status concept of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Therefore, unemployment as shown here must not be confused with registered unemployment as published by the Federal Employment Agency. In the European Statistical System, the results of the labour force survey are used as a standard basis for calculating unemployment rates.

Annual results, quarterly results and more monthly results are available: Employment.
Under “Unemployment”, the results adjusted by means of the Berlin method (BV4.1) are additionally available (trend cycle component).

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