By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL - The number of unemployed people in Germany declined only slightly in February but remained above the 3 million mark, according to data released Friday by the Federal Employment Agency (BA).
Seasonally adjusted figures showed unemployment fell by 14,670 from January to 3.07 million. Compared with February 2025, however, the number of unemployed rose by 80,020.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 6.3%.
Federal Employment Agency Chair Andrea Nahles said the labor market has yet to regain momentum following the winter lull, noting that unemployment remains persistently above 3 million.
Demand for new staff has stabilized at a low level. In February, registered job vacancies declined by 1,000 year-on-year to 638,000.
Short-time work benefits currently play only a limited role. Between Feb. 1 and 23, around 35,000 people applied for short-time work allowances for economic reasons.
Amid a sluggish economic outlook, unemployment is expected to rise further this year and remain above 3 million in the coming months.
While activity in the education and apprenticeship market remains dynamic, structural challenges persist. The number of registered apprenticeship positions dropped by 52,000 year-on-year to 345,000, whereas the number of applicants increased by 4,000 to 298,000.
The Federal Employment Agency warned that mismatches between companies’ expectations and applicants’ qualifications could leave many young people unemployed despite the availability of open positions.