Unemployment in Hamburg rose for the third month in a row in August. A total of 77,911 women and men were registered as unemployed, 1.3 percent more than in July. This was announced by the Employment Agency on Wednesday. The unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in August after 7.1 percent in the previous month. A year earlier, the figure was 7.3 percent.
According to Hamburg agency head Sönke Fock, the increase is due to Ukrainian refugees looking for work. While the total number of unemployed in Hamburg rose by 1,002 from July to August, the number of Ukrainians cared for by the employment agency increased by 1,280 in the same period. Ukrainians have not received any additional money since June 1 the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, but are looked after by the employment agencies – here primarily by the job centers.
Overall, according to Fock, the situation on the Hamburg labor market is good. More Hamburg residents currently have jobs than ever before. According to current figures from June, 1.037 million residents of the Hanseatic city were employed subject to social security contributions.
A slump in numbers is not to be feared. Fock: “The demand for workers in Hamburg companies is consistently high, there are more job offers available to job seekers than they have been in two and a half years.” Around 13,900 vacancies have been reported to the agency in Hamburg. “We are primarily looking for specialists and executives,” says Fock – spread across all sectors.
The situation on the training market is similar to that of Fock. The training period for a second round of young professionals begins on September 1st. According to the agency boss, there are still enough vacancies in all areas and for all school degrees.
The training companies were “desperately looking for young people to meet the need for skilled workers in their own companies,” says Fock. Almost 3200 apprenticeship positions are currently still vacant. This means that “in all sectors there are still good opportunities to start demanding vocational training in the fall.”
