The number of people without work in Germany rose by 92,000 in January 2026 compared with January 2025. Against the previous month, the figure climbed by 177,000 to 3.085 million, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) said on Friday. Seasonally adjusted, the unemployment level stayed unchanged from December. The headline unemployment rate increased by 0.4 percentage points to 6.6 percent.
BA chief Andrea Nahles, speaking in Nuremberg, noted that the labour market shows little dynamism at present. She explained that, since the start of the year, seasonal factors have pushed the unemployment total above three million again.
Under‑employment – which includes unemployed persons, those engaged in labour‑market policy activities and those temporarily out of work – offers a broader view of market slack. Seasonally adjusted, it fell by 4,000 compared with December and stood at 3.705 million, 8,000 below the corresponding figure a year earlier.
In January, the BA recorded 598,000 job vacancies, 34,000 fewer than a year ago. Its job‑index (BA‑X), an indicator of labour‑demand that takes both recorded vacancies and on‑boarding into account, slipped by one point to 100. Compared with January 2025, the BA‑X is five points lower.
In the same month, 1,142,000 people received unemployment benefits, 117,000 more than a year earlier. Roughly 3.826 million individuals were eligible for the basic‑income benefit (Bürgergeld), down by 137,000 from January 2025. Those beneficiaries represent about 7.0 % of the working‑age population in Germany.