Der Arbeitsmarkt in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in den Jahren 2000 und 2001 (The labour market in the Federal Republic of Germany in 2000 and 2001)

"In 2000 Germany experienced a strong economic upswing. The engine driving this development was the vigorous foreign demand. In total a 3.1% growth in real gross domestic product could be recorded. The number of employed persons rose in the annual average for 2000 by almost 600,000. Marginal part-time jobs account for about half of the increase. In the annual average for 2000 the unemployment figure in western Germany amounted to about 2.53 million; that was 225,000 fewer than in the previous year. The imbalance on the labour market in eastern Germany remained almost unchanged at a high level. With 1.36 million registered unemployed in the annual average for 2000, the level of the previous year was exceeded slightly. The economic trend in Germany will probably slow down in 2001, mainly owing to weaker foreign demand. The chances of the economic upswing continuing beyond the year 2001 are high. Nevertheless risks should not be ignored. Starting out from cautious assumptions, first, preliminary thoughts are made concerning the labour market development in 2002. With a 2.5 % increase in real gross domestic product, we reckon with a further strengthening of demand for labour: the number of employed could rise by approx. 240,000 (+ 0.6 %) in the annual average. The labour force potential will decrease by about 30,000 persons. The labour market balance in Germany could then continue to improve clearly: we expect 3.5 million unemployed in the annual average for 2002. However, this improvement again concerns western Germany in particular. But in eastern Germany, too, the expansionary forces on the labour market should increasingly gain the upper hand." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))