The number of unemployed in Germany increased again more than expected in September, as the years of economic downturn hit the labor market.

Evidence published by the Federal Labor Service showed that unemployment, adapted to seasonal fluctuations, increased by 14,000 people, more than expected, reaching a 14 -year high to 2.98 million people, Politico notes.

“The labor market still lacks the necessary potential for a stronger recovery,” said Labor Bureau Chief Andrea Nahles.

Local newspaper news is obviously dominant by redundancies of staff to national companies. Earlier this week, Lufthansa announced that it will proceed with 4,000 redundancies of administrative employees by 2030. The news came just days after the announcement of the Colossus of Engineering Robert Bosch that it would proceed with additional cuts of 13,000 jobs by 2030. The Volkswagen automaker and Germany’s second largest bank, Commerzbank, announced significant job cuts earlier this year.

Such trends have a chain impacts all along the supply chain: national bankruptcies increased by 12% compared to the previous year in the first half of 2025. Last week it was Kiekert’s turn, a carrier supplier that pioneered the central locking systems.