Job vacancies to be filled later in East Germany
Job vacancies to be filled later in East Germany stood at 45.1 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacancies to be filled later: Germany | 195.7 | 240.8 | 240.6 | 222.1 | 192.9 | 264.6 | 295.1 | 245.3 | 246.7 | 343.2 | |
| Vacancies to be filled later: East Germany | 45.1 | 51.6 | 37.5 | 45.8 | 44.9 | 52.7 | 55.9 | 56.3 | 46.4 | 72.4 | |
| Vacancies to be filled later: West Germany | 150.6 | 189.2 | 203.1 | 176.3 | 148 | 211.9 | 239.2 | 189 | 200.3 | 270.8 |
Understanding job vacancies to be filled later in East Germany
Prospective vacancies earmarked for later entry dates across eastern federal territory are tallied in this specific segment. The series counts open positions at eastern establishments where employers are currently engaged in active search procedures but have scheduled the starting date for a future quarter. It leaves out eastern openings requiring immediate commencement, which are recorded in the immediate vacancies series, and excludes all deferred openings in the western federal states. By isolating forward-looking recruitment across eastern employers, the measure separates planned future capacity additions from urgent, unfilled staffing needs.
Interpreting this series requires awareness of regional seasonal hiring timetables and project investment cycles across eastern states. Year-on-year comparisons provide the most appropriate basis for evaluation, eliminating regular quarterly variations caused by seasonal project restarts and regional holiday calendars. Because sample coverage for the eastern states represents a smaller segment of the national survey, quarterly figures can exhibit higher sampling variability and may be revised as establishment benchmarks are adjusted. Analysts should avoid equating this series with official job center listings, as eastern employers seldom list future-dated positions on public employment registries.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series cover future vacancies in Berlin?
- Geographic assignments follow federal statistical conventions, placing workplaces in eastern states under this category according to established regional definitions.
- How does this indicator differ from immediate vacancies in East Germany?
- This indicator tracks positions where employers are actively searching for personnel to start at a later date, whereas immediate vacancies require prompt commencement.
- Why is sampling variance higher for this series than for the national total?
- The eastern establishment sample comprises a smaller number of reporting units than the nationwide survey sample, resulting in wider confidence bands around quarterly estimates.