German industry lost nearly 500,000 jobs — Anadolu Agency

In Germany, the number of jobs in industry subject to social insurance fell by 496,000, or 7.1%, from the end of 2018 to the end of 2025. This was stated in a study by the Dresden branch of the ifo Institute, Anadolu Agency reports.

The largest cuts were in manufacturing

The automotive industry and its suppliers lost the most jobs — 123,500, or 13% of those employed. Manufacturers of metal products cut 115,600 positions, while machinery companies cut 64,500.

These three industries accounted for about 60% of all job cuts in industry. Employment in this sector declined in all German federal states except Hamburg. In the eastern part of the country, the decline amounted to 8.4%, and in the western part, 6.8%.

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Employment is shifting to services

At the same time, more than 2.2 million jobs were created in the services sector during this period. The largest growth was recorded in healthcare, where 391,000 jobs were added, as well as in social services, including care homes, where 357,000 were added.

The number of employees in public administration increased by 329,000, partly due to the replacement of civil servants with salaried employees. Among private service providers, employment grew fastest in IT companies.

Joachim Ragnitz, deputy head of ifo Dresden, said that the structural transformation of the German economy is intensifying. According to the study, the number of employed people with vocational education fell by 252,000, while the number of workers with higher education increased by 1.8 million. The study is based on data from Germany's Federal Employment Agency and does not cover self-employed people, civil servants, or workers in so-called mini-jobs.