As of: March 28, 2024, 10:57 a.m
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The logo of the Federal Employment Agency on a building. © Caroline Seidel/dpa/archive image
The spring revival is causing unemployment numbers to fall slightly in Lower Saxony and Bremen. However, the decline is only small. The rate remains high, especially in Bremen.
Hanover/Bremen - The traditional spring revival is causing unemployment numbers to fall slightly in Lower Saxony and Bremen. In both countries, there were slightly fewer unemployed people in March than in February, as the regional directorate of the Federal Employment Agency (BA) reported in Hanover on Thursday. A year ago the values were even lower.
In Lower Saxony, the BA counted 262,843 unemployed people in March, a good 5,700 fewer than in February. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 points to 5.9 percent. In the state of Bremen, 40,522 unemployed people were counted in February, almost 500 fewer than in February. The rate also increased by 0.2 points, but remained high at 11 percent.
The smallest federal state is at the bottom of the list nationwide and the only one of the 16 federal states with a double-digit rate. In Bremerhaven the rate was 14.9 percent, and in the city of Bremen itself it was 10.2 percent. Wilhelmshaven came last in Lower Saxony with 11.9 percent, the lowest rate nationwide was in the county of Bentheim with 3.3 percent.
Fewer vacancies
The decline in unemployment follows the usual seasonal pattern, according to the regional directorate. As the weather became increasingly better, employers were increasingly looking for workers for seasonal jobs, such as construction. A year ago, unemployment in both federal states was somewhat lower. In March 2023, the rate in Lower Saxony was 5.7 percent, 0.2 points lower than now. In Bremen, at 10.5 percent, it was even 0.5 points below the current value.
On the other hand, there are also fewer vacancies, the regional directorate added. In Lower Saxony, almost 13,300 new vacancies were reported to employment agencies in March, almost 1,800 fewer than in February. There were a good 1,500 new vacancies in Bremen, 116 fewer than were reported in February. This decline is also seasonal, the agency said. dpa