German industry lost 177,000 jobs in 2025 as employment slump deepens

German industry lost 177,000 jobs last year, according to figures released by the Federal Employment Agency in Nuremberg on Wednesday. 

As of December 2025, 6.5 million people were formally employed in the manufacturing sector, representing almost one-fifth of Germany's workforce, the agency said.

Overall, employment across all sectors of the economy fell by 108,000, with the agency stating that growth in other sectors had been unable to offset the losses in industry.

In the automotive industry and its supply chain alone, 52,000 jobs were lost.  In the rest of the metal industry, 24,000 jobs were lost, and 28,000 in mechanical engineering.

Further job cuts are expected. The agency's director, Andrea Nahles, said at the end of June that 15,000 jobs were being lost in the manufacturing sector every month. 

Cumulatively, the total losses for the 12 months to the end of June stood at 174,000.