Germany short-time workers
Germany short-time workers stood at 210,112 Number in 2025, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Labour market (annual) table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1991 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market (annual) table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-time workers, Social Security Code III, Absolute value | 297,318 | 298,069 | 240,846 | 425,571 | 1,851,802 | 2,938,786 | 145,276 | 117,659 | 113,552 | 127,811 | |
| Short-time workers, basis for entitlement according to section 96 only, Social Security Code III, Absolute value | 210,112 | 210,219 | 146,892 | 336,638 | 1,744,098 | 2,847,044 | 59,821 | 25,060 | 24,267 | 42,086 |
Understanding germany short-time workers
This specific measure isolates the count of individuals receiving reduced-hours compensation strictly governed by Section 96 of Social Security Code III. It filters out broader or temporary extensions of short-time work to focus entirely on the standard statutory entitlement. The criteria require a temporary, unavoidable loss of work due to economic factors or structural events, leaving the employee formally attached to the company. By isolating Section 96 claimants, the metric excludes those receiving allowances under distinct legal provisions, such as seasonal weather-related short-time work in construction, or those in forms of marginal employment ineligible for these statutory benefits. The series thereby acts as a precise gauge of standard cyclical labour hoarding by employers facing conventional demand shocks.
Because the figures are annual averages, they smooth over the sharp intra-year volatility often associated with temporary factory closures or short-lived supply chain disruptions. Early releases are frequently subject to revision, as initial notifications of intent filed by businesses are later reconciled with the actual volume of claims processed and paid out. Analysts should be cautious when aligning this annualised series with monthly unemployment registers, as these workers are explicitly excluded from joblessness counts despite their reduced hours. Year-on-year comparisons reveal structural shifts in how the standard short-time scheme is utilised across business cycles, but evaluating the immediate severity of an economic shock typically requires examining the higher-frequency monthly equivalents rather than these aggregated annual levels.
Frequently asked questions
- How does the Section 96 restriction change the count of short-time workers?
- It narrows the scope to standard cyclical claims, stripping out individuals receiving compensation under separate legal provisions like seasonal bad-weather allowances or temporary emergency mandates.
- Are individuals in this dataset simultaneously counted in the national unemployment totals?
- No, recipients of this compensation remain legally bound to their employers and are classified as employed, keeping them entirely out of the registered joblessness figures.
- Why might the initial figures for a given year be revised in subsequent releases?
- Preliminary data often relies on the initial declarations of intent submitted by firms, which are later adjusted to reflect the exact number of workers who actually drew the benefits.