The construction industry saw an increase of 31,000 people in employment.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin After the corona-related decline in the recession year 2020, the number of people in employment in Germany rose again in 2021 – albeit only slightly. It increased by 7,000 to around 44.9 million, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Monday after preliminary calculations.
In 2020, the corona crisis ended the 14-year increase in employment and led to a decrease of 370,000 people. “The increase in employment that has been ongoing since 2006 would probably have come to an end soon, even without the corona crisis, as the potential labor force is dwindling due to demographic change,” emphasized the statisticians. “This development is currently being compensated less and less by a higher labor force participation of the domestic population as well as the immigration of foreign workers.”
The developments in the individual economic sectors differ widely. The service providers saw an increase in employment of 94,000 or 0.3 percent to around 33.7 million people. In 2020 there was a minus of 197,000 or 0.6 percent.
The largest increases were in the area of public service providers, education, health with 249,000 (+2.2 percent) and in the area of information and communication with 33,000 (+2.4 percent).
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Both areas were able to achieve growth in the crisis year 2020. In the case of corporate service providers, which include temporary workers, there was an increase of 33,000 or 0.5 percent, which, however, could not make up for the decline from the previous year. A decrease of 176,000 people (-1.8 percent) was registered in the trade, transport, and hospitality sector, following a decrease of 218,000 or 2.1 percent in 2020.
Outside the service sector, employment fell overall: in the manufacturing sector (excluding construction) it fell by 96,000 or 1.2 percent to around 8.1 million. With an increase of 31,000 persons in employment (+1.2 percent) to around 2.6 million, the construction industry “continued to provide very positive impulses as evidence of a continued construction boom,” according to statisticians. In agriculture, forestry and fishing, 22,000 fewer people were employed than in 2020, which corresponds to a significant decrease of 3.8 percent to 558,000.
The number of all employees increased by 115,000 people or 0.3 percent to around 41.0 million on an annual average in 2021. The positive development in employment subject to social security contributions made a significant contribution to this. “Among the self-employed, including family workers, the decade-long downward trend continued in 2021,” it said. Their number fell by 108,000 people to 3.9 million (-2.7 percent).
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