In 2025, nearly 4.9 million people in Germany aged 15 to 74 expressed a desire to work, representing an increase of 240,000 people, or 5.2 percent, compared to the previous year. According to preliminary results from the 2025 Microcensus, released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Wednesday, the untapped labor potential among inactive individuals is comprised of just under 1.7 million unemployed people and approximately 3.2 million individuals in a “Silent Reserve”. Compared to last year, the number of unemployed people rose by 170,000 (+11.3 percent), while the Silent Reserve increased by 70,000 (+2.3 percent).
It is important to note the definitions used by the statisticians. Those deemed unemployed with a desire to work are defined as individuals who have actively sought employment in the last four weeks and are ready to start work within two weeks. Conversely, the Silent Reserve comprises people who are either temporarily unavailable for the job market or are not actively searching for work but still desire employment.
Reviewing the demographics, the unemployed group in 2025 included 962,000 men and 723,000 women, meaning men accounted for 57.1 percent of this group. In the Silent Reserve, women held a majority share at 55.2 percent, with slightly fewer than 1.8 million women compared to just over 1.4 million men.
Regarding qualifications, 68.3 percent of the unemployed and 59.5 percent of the Silent Reserve had a medium or high qualification level-meaning they had either completed professional training or secured college/university preparatory qualifications. For women, 72.4 percent in the unemployed group and 61.9 percent in the Silent Reserve possessed a medium or high qualification, while the corresponding figures for men were 65.2 percent and 56.5 percent.
Significant gender differences were evident when examining the main reasons for inactivity on the labor market for those aged 25 to 59. In the Silent Reserve, 30.7 percent of women in this age bracket cited caregiving duties as the reason they could currently not take up work. However, for men in the same age group, only 5.3 percent cited similar caregiving responsibilities. Meanwhile, health limitations play a distinct role, particularly for men, though they are also frequently cited by women. According to the statisticians, for 35.6 percent of men and 23.6 percent of women in the Silent Reserve, poor health was the primary reason for not being actively engaged in the labor market.