Despite Job Market Growth, Apprenticeship Vacancies Remain High in Hesse

Despite a strong overall employment picture in Hesse, Germany, a significant number of apprenticeship vacancies remain unfilled. As of August 14th, there were 10,000 open apprenticeship positions across the state, compared to 7,333 job seekers. This trend is particularly noticeable in Frankfurt, where nearly 1,100 job seekers have a choice of almost 3,300 open apprenticeships. Overall, the apprenticeship market is maintaining its previous year’s levels with 33,700 positions available for 33,400 registered job seekers. The number of job seekers is expected to decline in the coming weeks, potentially contributing to a reduction in overall unemployment. In August, the unemployment rate increased to 5.7 percent, with a total of 201,585 individuals registered as unemployed. While overall job openings remained nearly unchanged from the previous month, they saw a 16.8 percent decrease compared to August 2023. Despite this slight decline, employment growth in Hesse continues to outpace the national average, with a 0.9 percent increase compared to last year, reaching 2.8 million people.