For the first time in the month of August since 2015, Germany reports more than 3 million jobless, to be exact: 3,025,000 precisely.
The manufacturing industry is hit hardest. Between May 2024 and May 2025, a total of 146,000 jobs were lost in total, of which the metal, electrical, and steel industries alone report 109,000 fewer jobs. The first wave of layoffs—with more is to come—primarily affects the temporary employment sector, in which 63,000 jobs were lost.
Large parts of German industry, particularly steel, construction, and chemicals need large amounts of electricity, oil, and natural gas. These industrial sectors are hard hit by price inflation, which is man-made, as a consequence of stopping imports of Russian gas. This situation is taking its toll on the whole economy.
