German employment falls slightly amid rise in business registrations

In the first three months of the current year, around 45.8 million people were employed in Germany, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

This was 0.9% less than in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 0.1% less than a year earlier.

The first quarter of the year was the second consecutive three-month period with a drop in employment.

Previously, the number of employees had risen continuously since the second quarter of 2021.

Meanwhile, the number of business registrations rose by 2.1% to 206,1000, while 175,000 were deregistered.

According to the Wiesbaden-agency, 36,500 of the new registrations were for larger businesses, an 11.4% rise compared to the previous year.

Figures from the Federal Employment Agency show that Germany unemployment fell to 6.3% in April, with the number of jobless people standing at 2.932 million.