German industry lost 177,000 jobs last year, according to the Federal Employment Agency.
According to the agency, 6.5 million people subject to compulsory social insurance were still employed in the manufacturing industry in December 2025. This represents almost a fifth of all insured workers. Overall, employment in all sectors of the economy fell by 108,000. Growth in other industries, the agency notes, has not been able to compensate for the losses in industry.
52,000 jobs were cut in the automotive industry and parts suppliers alone. 24,000 jobs were eliminated in the metallurgical industry and 28,000 in mechanical engineering. The agency stressed that the layoffs were not over yet.
At the end of June, Andrea Nahles, president of the Federal Agency for the Protection of Industrial Property, said that the industrial sector was losing 15,000 jobs per month. In total, this figure for the past 12 months (as of the end of June) amounted to 174,000.
In recent years, Germany has been experiencing a prolonged economic crisis. Initially triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was then worsened by the disruption of Russian gas supplies and the conflict over Iran.