As a result, 2003 saw a sharp fall in employment and rising unemployment. By the third quarter, 38.28 million people were in gainful employment, 479,000 (1.2%) fewer than the previous year. The fall in employment was mostly the result of job losses in manufacturing, leading to a rise in unemployment. In November, 4.18 million people were registered as unemployed, 158,700 (4%) more than in the previous year. The unemployment rate (based on the national definition of the total civilian working population) increased to 10.0%. The seasonally adjusted rate for November stood at 10.5%.
The German unemployment rate is in the top third in the European Union. In October, the EU-standardised, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 9.3%, against an average for the 15 EU Member States of 8.0%. Only France and Spain recorded higher rates of unemployment.
There were considerable regional differences in unemployment rates within Germany, with little change on previous years. The unemployment rate in eastern Germany is over twice as high as in the west (17.4% against 8.1% in November). The Federal States of Baden Württemberg and Bavaria had the lowest rates, Bremen the highest rate in western Germany. In the east, Thuringia had the lowest unemployment rate, Saxony-Anhalt the highest.
As a result of the sluggish economy, the number of vacancies in almost all sectors and occupations fell in 2003. Between January and November, the job centres registered some 2.28 million new vacancies, down 325,900 (12%) on the same period one year earlier. By the end of November, there were 275,200 vacancies on offer, 68,700 (20%) fewer than in the previous year.
The current economic climate and early indicators point to a gradual recovery in 2004. The German Institute for Employment Research (IAB) forecasts GDP growth of 1.5% for this year, with an average fall in employment of 100,000 ( 0.3%) and a slight drop in unemployment (-13,000). The economy will improve as the year progresses, having a gradual impact on demand for labour and leading to a seasonally adjusted increase in employment in the second half of the year. The seasonally adjusted rate of unemployment will fall slightly during the year. All in all, the labour market will see a gradual improvement – though no breakthrough – in 2004.
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This article has been published by the European Commission, more information under http://europa.eu.int.
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