Germany regular employees, temp agency work, unadjusted
Germany regular employees, temp agency work, unadjusted stood at 541,200 Number in Jul 2026, according to Deutsche Bundesbank, Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) and Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit. It is one of the indicators in the Labour market (monthly) table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 2007 to Jul 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market (monthly) table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed persons according to ESA 2010, Domestic concept, Absolute value | 45,582 | 45,655 | 45,710 | 45,703 | 45,650 | 45,572 | 45,501 | 45,501 | 45,900 | 46,052 | |
| Employees subject to social security contributions, Total, Absolute value | 34,677,400 | 34,816,000 | 34,841,900 | 34,844,000 | 34,825,934 | 34,761,618 | 34,759,765 | 34,985,555 | 35,190,714 | ||
| Employees subject to social security contributions, N 78.2, N 78.3 Hiring out of labour, Absolute value | 541,200 | 537,400 | 523,900 | 523,300 | 523,525 | 513,016 | 515,004 | 524,031 | 555,273 |
Understanding germany regular employees, temp agency work, unadjusted
Tracking a highly cyclical segment of the labour force, this unadjusted series enumerates employees whose mandatory social security contributions are managed through temporary employment agencies (N 78.2 and 78.3 Hiring out of labour). The criteria require these individuals to be actively employed by a leasing firm, regardless of which sector they are temporarily assigned to work in. This isolates outsourced, flexible labour from the standard sectoral headcounts, separating leased factory or warehouse staff from direct hires. It serves as a distinct, specialized subset of the regular employment aggregate, capturing workers who maintain standard social insurance benefits despite the transient nature of their daily workplace assignments.
Unadjusted for seasonal effects, the series demands year-on-year comparison to effectively evaluate structural shifts in corporate reliance on flexible staffing. This specific metric is notoriously sensitive to early economic fluctuations, serving as a rapid administrative indicator; companies routinely shed leased workers before adjusting their core staff, making these figures highly reactive. Revisions are standard as agencies finalize their payroll reporting with a delay. Methodological breaks occasionally emerge from legislative changes targeting maximum leasing durations or equal pay regulations, which directly influence employer utilization of the scheme. Attempting to map these workers to specific industries is impossible using this aggregate, as the data reflects the employer's classification, not the client's.
Frequently asked questions
- If a temporary worker is assigned to a manufacturing plant, which sector counts them?
- They are counted precisely here, under the hiring out of labour category, rather than being added to the secondary manufacturing sector.
- Does this include independent freelancers taking short-term contracts?
- No, the metric is strictly limited to individuals with formal, socially insured employment contracts held by a recognized temporary employment agency.
- Why is this subset often viewed as an early economic indicator?
- Businesses typically expand or reduce their reliance on flexible leased labour before altering the headcount of their permanent, direct workforce.