Job vacancies in German transport and storage
Job vacancies in German transport and storage stood at 59 thousands 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany total | 1,023.4 | 1,153.2 | 1,258.9 | 1,039.8 | 1,058.4 | 1,158.4 | 1,568.3 | 1,278.8 | 1,375.2 | 1,597.4 | |
| Transport and storage | 59 | 55.8 | 68 | 64.2 | 61.8 | 71.1 | 95.5 | 84.2 | 68.2 | 80.7 | |
| Information and communication | 35.5 | 43.4 | 43.3 | 36.6 | 40.2 | 54.4 | 63.3 | 48.7 | 52.9 | 67.3 |
Understanding job vacancies in German transport and storage
Freight, warehousing, and passenger logistics establishments report their unmet hiring requirements in this quarterly headcount. The measure counts open positions across freight transport, postal and courier services, warehousing facilities, and passenger transit where an enterprise is actively seeking external recruits. It excludes internal employee transfers, positions already filled by signed contracts awaiting a start date, and vacancies in manufacturing or retail distribution centers that are classified under industrial or wholesale headings. Unlike companion rows covering information or financial activities, this series captures operational personnel alongside technical staff within logistics employers.
Interpreting the series requires awareness of seasonal fluctuations linked to freight delivery schedules and holiday shipping volumes. Year-on-year comparisons offer a more dependable perspective than quarter-on-quarter movements, as annual contrasts filter out predictable calendar variations in cargo and storage activity. Revisions occur when quarterly survey weights are updated following structural employment benchmarks. Users should distinguish these survey-based figures from administrative registries maintained by public employment offices, which document only positions formally reported to authorities and undercount vacancies handled through private recruitment channels.
Frequently asked questions
- Are warehouse roles at retail companies included in this series?
- No, vacancies are classified according to the primary economic activity of the employer, so warehouse positions at retailers appear under trade rather than transport and storage.
- Does this series include self-employed courier contractors?
- It counts only unfilled positions for dependent employees that establishments are actively trying to fill, excluding independent owner-drivers and solo subcontractors.
- Why do survey totals for transport vacancies exceed figures published by public job centers?
- The survey captures all open positions regardless of search method, whereas administrative registries include only vacancies that employers voluntarily register with public employment offices.