New data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reveals a significant rise in job losses across Germany stemming from company insolvencies over the past four and a half years. The figures, obtained in response to a request from the alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), illustrate a worrying trend impacting the German workforce.
In 2021 and 2022, approximately 75,687 and 83,597 employees, respectively, experienced job displacement due to company failures. This number escalated considerably in 2023 to 165,984, followed by a further increase to 184,494 during 2024. The trend continues into the first half of 2025, with 92,202 employees impacted.
Cumulatively, the data indicates nearly 600,000 individuals have lost their jobs due to corporate insolvencies between January 2021 and June 2025.
Sahra Wagenknecht, founder of the BSW, commented on the figures, highlighting the considerable impact on employees and characterizing the situation as a “sad record”. She attributed the increase in insolvencies and related job losses to what she described as “absurd economic policy” placing responsibility on the current governing coalition. Wagenknecht specifically noted that despite changes in personnel, the policies contributing to high energy costs and burdensome bureaucracy remain in place, negatively affecting small and medium-sized enterprises and contributing to industrial decline.