Germany benefit recipients, labour-market programmes and training places
What the German employment administration pays for and runs: employable benefit recipients under SGB II including the long-term recipients, unemployment-benefit recipients under SGB III, participants in and entries into support programmes, and applicants and places on the vocational training market.
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | 09-2025 | 08-2025 | 07-2025 | 06-2025 | 05-2025 | 04-2025 | 03-2025 | 02-2025 | 01-2025 | 12-2024 | 11-2024 | 10-2024 | 09-2024 | 08-2024 | 07-2024 | 06-2024 | 05-2024 | 04-2024 | 03-2024 | 02-2024 | 01-2024 | 12-2023 | 11-2023 | 10-2023 | 09-2023 | 08-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic income support (SGB II)2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employable benefit recipients (ELB)2 | 3,754,390 | 3,769,220 | 3,794,430 | 3,806,130 | 3,822,190 | 3,830,860 | 3,834,050 | 3,824,040 | 3,811,940 | 3,808,840 | 3,831,060 | 3,848,960 | 3,869,910 | 3,896,010 | 3,908,250 | 3,932,280 | 3,951,270 | 3,966,530 | 3,970,640 | 3,962,880 | 3,945,520 | 3,941,710 | 3,961,840 | 3,973,230 | 3,988,750 | 4,003,260 | 4,005,390 | 4,013,780 | 4,017,680 | 4,012,170 | 4,006,260 | 3,982,810 | 3,928,640 | 3,920,290 | 3,925,400 | 3,929,810 | 3,945,000 | |
| Unemployed employable benefit recipients | 1,748,580 | 1,769,380 | 1,777,910 | 1,790,870 | 1,799,880 | 1,757,750 | 1,745,170 | 1,760,300 | 1,790,860 | 1,840,940 | 1,814,350 | 1,796,920 | 1,792,730 | 1,800,830 | 1,810,670 | 1,805,310 | 1,806,000 | 1,754,670 | 1,739,120 | 1,746,620 | 1,759,010 | 1,806,230 | 1,769,230 | 1,740,330 | 1,738,790 | 1,745,460 | 1,747,100 | 1,754,440 | 1,745,230 | 1,687,870 | 1,673,000 | 1,679,080 | 1,688,840 | 1,737,790 | ||||
| Employed employable benefit recipients | 768,900 | 769,480 | 773,990 | 786,340 | 800,220 | 799,150 | 812,950 | 811,140 | 803,360 | 806,460 | 809,600 | 813,150 | 812,470 | 811,170 | 813,090 | 821,910 | 834,060 | 831,880 | 843,140 | 838,130 | 828,710 | 825,020 | 822,900 | 825,240 | 821,390 | 814,460 | 814,190 | 818,200 | 811,850 | 810,440 | 818,480 | 812,040 | 802,910 | |||||
| Long-term benefit recipients (LZB) | 2,555,300 | 2,556,860 | 2,562,440 | 2,562,540 | 2,560,750 | 2,558,280 | 2,569,590 | 2,573,090 | 2,583,210 | 2,593,000 | 2,592,040 | 2,593,340 | 2,591,120 | 2,592,630 | 2,592,830 | 2,586,860 | 2,577,360 | 2,566,730 | 2,569,500 | 2,560,250 | 2,560,900 | 2,558,010 | 2,542,770 | 2,518,950 | 2,489,220 | 2,451,820 | 2,287,960 | 2,290,170 | 2,285,310 | 2,286,450 | 2,298,240 | 2,307,580 | 2,323,790 | |||||
| Unemployment benefits (SGB III)2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unemployment-benefit recipients while unemployed | 1,132,960 | 1,096,530 | 1,052,320 | 1,051,450 | 1,069,750 | 1,102,080 | 1,132,990 | 1,117,800 | 1,023,040 | 984,200 | 977,630 | 997,070 | 1,023,770 | 1,001,390 | 962,160 | 959,260 | 976,490 | 1,005,900 | 1,035,160 | 1,024,270 | 931,600 | 889,410 | 879,930 | 889,480 | 920,000 | 897,520 | 867,320 | 856,360 | 862,410 | 897,780 | 933,790 | 913,190 | 833,260 | 790,610 | 782,690 | 783,160 | 815,500 | |
| Unemployment-benefit recipients in continuing training | 71,600 | 73,090 | 73,190 | 70,810 | 68,620 | 68,060 | 69,030 | 67,810 | 65,750 | 61,870 | 59,330 | 61,560 | 66,230 | 68,530 | 69,110 | 68,710 | 67,460 | 67,090 | 68,010 | 67,520 | 65,800 | 61,630 | 58,170 | 59,420 | 63,300 | 65,370 | 65,570 | 63,500 | 61,390 | 60,420 | 60,920 | 60,480 | 57,900 | 54,590 | 51,180 | |||
| Labour-market programmes2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Participants in support programmes | 737,020 | 726,110 | 707,490 | 689,600 | 683,520 | 704,570 | 713,990 | 696,340 | 659,270 | 614,610 | 638,140 | 669,740 | 682,750 | 686,210 | 680,590 | 678,000 | 680,970 | 713,000 | 732,490 | 726,700 | 701,090 | 664,550 | 690,060 | 719,590 | 723,110 | 716,400 | 700,220 | 684,780 | 685,830 | 709,820 | 723,280 | 711,860 | 689,360 | 638,730 | ||||
| Entries into support programmes | 191,230 | 203,360 | 195,520 | 177,800 | 142,120 | 159,420 | 169,540 | 209,240 | 222,100 | 162,850 | 159,490 | 145,520 | 162,960 | 173,540 | 173,040 | 171,260 | 131,670 | 152,700 | 168,110 | 213,950 | 233,940 | 174,830 | 189,190 | 160,730 | 179,340 | 197,790 | 186,360 | 179,090 | 143,080 | 158,710 | 178,140 | 185,740 | 225,460 | 178,610 | ||||
| Vocational training market2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Applicants | 433,200 | 429,610 | 417,520 | 407,590 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reported vocational training places | 451,160 | 483,540 | 502,360 | 527,460 |
Latest reading
Employable benefit recipients (ELB) stood at 3,754,390 Persons in Aug 2026. That is −0.4% from Jul 2026 and −3.0% from a year earlier. The series on this page is monthly and runs from May 2015 to Aug 2026.
- Latest
- 3,754,390 Persons
- Aug 2026
- vs previous period
- −0.4%
- Jul 2026
- vs a year earlier
- −3.0%
About this data
What the German employment administration pays for and runs: employable benefit recipients under SGB II including the long-term recipients, unemployment-benefit recipients under SGB III, participants in and entries into support programmes, and applicants and places on the vocational training market. Source: Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit.
