Germany construction job vacancy rate
Germany construction job vacancy rate stood at 4.6% in Q2 2026, according to Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Eurostat and KfW Research / ifo Institute. It is one of the indicators in the Job vacancies and skilled labour shortage table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q4 2010 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Job vacancies and skilled labour shortage table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job vacancy rate by industry, NACE Rev. 2.1 (Eurostat) | |||||||||||
| Construction | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 5.5 | |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
Understanding germany construction job vacancy rate
On-site building activities across civil engineering and specialized trade contracting are tracked by this Eurostat vacancy rate under NACE Rev. 2.1 Section F. The rate divides vacant positions by total labour requirements, defined as occupied employment plus open posts across residential, commercial, and infrastructure contractors. Architectural design, structural engineering services, and building materials fabrication are excluded, separating on-site manual and technical building trades from professional consultancy and factory production. The resulting indicator reflects field-level construction recruitment across Germany.
Interpreting quarterly figures demands year-on-year comparisons against the corresponding quarter of the prior year because severe weather and winter building freezes produce sharp seasonal swings. Sequential quarter-on-quarter movements largely capture the seasonal resumption or suspension of outdoor ground projects rather than structural changes in labour availability. Revisions occur as annual benchmarking harmonizes preliminary survey data with official social security construction employment files. Analysts should recognize that widespread project subcontracting can concentrate vacancy postings among specialized trade enterprises rather than head contracting firms.
Frequently asked questions
- Are architectural and structural engineering firms included in this construction rate?
- Architectural design and technical engineering consultancies are categorized under professional and technical services rather than construction trades.
- How do winter weather conditions distort quarterly vacancy numbers?
- Adverse weather restricts outdoor building work, suppressing winter recruitment and making year-on-year comparisons necessary to track genuine cyclical trends.
- Does the indicator capture vacancies for specialized trade subcontractors?
- Electrical installation, plumbing, roofing, and finishing contractors are fully included within Section F of NACE Rev. 2.1.