Germany Employment Slips in January 2026 to 45.5 Million Down 14 000 From Previous Month
In January 2026, about 45.5 million people living in Germany were employed. Destatis’ provisional figures show the seasonally adjusted employment figure fell by 14 000 compared with December 2025. From May to December 2025 the monthly drop averaged 12 000 workers from the preceding month. Without seasonal adjustment, employment fell by 369 000 (‑0.8 %) from…
February 27, 2026
German Unemployment Rises 81,000 in February from Previous Year Despite January Decline
The number of unemployed people rose in February compared with the same month last year, but fell from January as is typical during the winter break. On Friday in Nuremberg the Federal Employment Agency announced that 3 070 000 people were registered as unemployed-15 000 fewer than in January and, according to the agency, 81 000 more than in February 2025. Seasonally…
February 27, 2026
Deutsche Bundesbank Reports Sharp Decline in Counterfeit Currency
The German Bundesbank reports a drop in counterfeiting activity.In 2025, nearly 68 000 counterfeit euro banknotes were identified in the national payments system, a 6.1 % decline from the previous year, the bank announced on Friday. The resulting damage was around €4 million, roughly 11 % less than the €4.5 million recorded in 2024. The lower loss figure is mainly due to a…
February 27, 2026
DAX Opens Steady Ahead of Unemployment and Inflation Releases
The German market opened a little lower on Friday morning. By 9:30 a.m., the DAX was calculated at around 25,305 points, roughly 0.1 percent above the previous day’s closing level. Andreas Lipkow, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, noted that Asian investors had taken profits on well‑performing stocks, notably technology names, at the end of the week. In contrast,…
February 27, 2026
Imports Decline 2.3% YoY at 2026 Start as Prices Continue Falling
In January 2026 German import prices were 2.3 % lower than they had been a year earlier, the same year‑on‑year decline that was recorded in December 2025 (‑2.3 %) and in November 2025 (‑1.9 %). According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) announced on Friday, imports rose 1.1 % from the previous month of December 2025 – the strongest month‑over‑month increase…
February 27, 2026
Angela Merkel Takes the Pulpit as Guest Preacher in Monastery Church
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel will take the pulpit at the Maria Laach Abbey church on March 4 for a fasting sermon, the Benedictine community announced.According to the abbey, she will not deliver a political address; rather, she will share “spiritual impulses drawn from Christian tradition” amid the monks’ prayers and organ music. The announcement…
February 27, 2026
Germany real wages climb 1.9% in 2025 while nominal wages soar 4.2% year‑on‑year
In 2025 nominal wages in Germany were 4.2 % higher than in 2024, while consumer prices rose 2.2 % over the same period. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), real wages grew 1.9 % in 2025 relative to the previous year, marking a rebound after declines from 2020 to 2023. The real‑wage index, measured with 2025 as the base year (100), reached 100…
February 27, 2026
German County Council Hails New Heating Law Initiative
The German district council welcomed the key points of the new heating law as a step in the right direction. “The agreed changes to the heating law are a correct step and had been promised” chief executive Kay Ruge told the Editorial Network Germany. “That the correction now happens in this manner is good and reflects the living reality of millions of…
February 27, 2026
German Railways and GDL Reach Wage Accord Averting Strikes
DB and the GDL have reached a compromise in wage negotiations that avoids industrial action. Both parties will present the agreement’s details on Friday morning, putting warning strikes at DB to the back burner for the coming months. These talks were the first since 2018 to end without strikes. The previous round, led by the controversial GDL chairman Claus Weselsky,…
February 27, 2026
Warken Skips Mediation Committee to Drive Hospital Reform Through Parliament by March
Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) said she will push the planned changes to the hospital reform through the Bundestag and the Bundesrat by the end of March. “The goal is to avoid the Vermittlungsausschuss” Warken told RTL and ntv. She intends to present a single hospital‑reform amendment bill that will allow the reform to begin in earnest, noting that the…
February 27, 2026
German Armsmaker Renk Builds Factory in Poland to Strengthen Eastern Europe Presence
A German defence firm, Renk AG, is expanding its footprint in Eastern Europe by building up service and assembly facilities in Poland, company chief executive Alexander Sagel told “Spiegel”. The company will first provide maintenance for gearboxes, engines and suspensions before moving on to production. This local support will shorten response times for customers…
February 27, 2026
German Airbus Workers Call for End to FCAS Dispute Reject Dassault Collaboration
The demands for ending the long‑standing dispute over the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) are growing louder. Within the German Airbus workforce, there is a clear rejection of continuing to partner with the French conglomerate Dassault on the development of a future combat aircraft. Dassault remains the central partner and main contractor for FCAS, together with…
