Federal Employment Agency: Job vacancies for IT professions fall by 22 percent

Despite the decline in advertised positions, the number of ICT specialists employed subject to social security contributions in Germany continued to rise. In 2025, 1.15 million employees were registered in this occupational group – an increase of two percent compared to the previous year.

At the same time, the situation on the applicant side has tightened: the occupation-specific unemployment rate for ICT professions rose from 3.7 percent to 4.5 percent. The labor market for IT professions has thus become tighter – with fewer open positions on one side and more unemployed specialists on the other.

Andrea Nahles, Chair of the Board of the Federal Employment Agency, put the development in context. „Gleichzeitig sei die Branche aber auch von einem Strukturwandel erfasst, durch fortschreitende Digitalisierung, Automatisierung und den Einsatz von neuen KI-Technologien“, she explained. The sector is „in einem starken Wandel“, the Federal Employment Agency announced on the basis of a new survey.

Structural change through AI and automation

Nahles also pointed to opposing tendencies: „Der Arbeitsmarkt in der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik steht unter dem Eindruck gegensätzlicher Entwicklungen.“ While the economic downturn is slowing hiring momentum in the short term – „Die konjunkturelle Eintrübung bremse kurzfristig die Einstellungsdynamik“ –, demand for qualified specialists remains fundamentally high.

According to the agency, demand is concentrated particularly on specialists with specific profiles. At the same time, the requirement level for these professions is rising, especially due to the use of artificial intelligence. The classic entry-level profiles are changing as well as the expectations of applicants.

The background to this development is a combination of economic weakness and structural change. While the short-term economic downturn is causing many companies to reduce their hiring plans, technological change – digitalization, automation, and AI – is permanently transforming the job profiles. The Federal Employment Agency expects that job cuts will not be evenly distributed across all IT professions, but will affect primarily those areas where tasks can be standardized.

Implications for applicants

For applicants, the changed situation means that additional qualifications, AI skills, and specializations are gaining importance. According to the Federal Employment Agency, demand remains high for specialists who develop, operate, or work at the interfaces between classic IT and new AI applications automation solutions.

The Federal Employment Agency evaluates both the positions reported to it and employment subject to social security contributions for its assessment. Not captured are exclusively marginal employment, self-employed activities, and positions that companies fill directly – without involving the employment agency. The actual decline in vacancies across the entire economy may therefore deviate from the figure mentioned.