On Christmas Eve, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) in Wiesbaden published a series of reports characterizing the standard of living in Germany in November 2015. 'Russkaya Germaniya' reported on such important indicators as consumer prices, incomes and employment.
According to the report, in November of this year compared to the same month in 2014, consumer prices fell by an average of 0.6%. The maximum decline in prices was observed in the energy sector. In particular, prices for energy carriers overall fell by 7.5% (including liquid fuel by 9.9%, central heating by 8.7%), and for gas by 1.7%. However, this had practically no effect on prices for industrial goods (excluding seasonal discounts), and for groups such as newspapers and magazines, as well as information processing equipment, prices somehow jumped by 6.2% and 6.3% respectively.
Taking inflation into account, in November 2015 compared to November 2014, prices for services rose by an average of 1.2%. Including rent by 1.1% (given that for the vast majority of households, at least one fifth of all consumer spending goes to housing rent). Prices for maintenance and repair of motor vehicles rose by 2.8%, for hairdressing and other personal care services by 3.5%, for catering services by 2.8%, and for telecommunications services by 1% to 1.5%.
Prices for food also increased – by an average of 2.3%. Including fruits by 12.1% (including citrus fruits by 17.4%, apples by 12.3%) and vegetables by 9.4% (including potatoes by 27.1%). Prices for fish and confectionery rose by 2.7%, and for edible fats and oils by 1%. However, prices for dairy products and eggs fell by 4%.
Now about wages. In the third quarter of 2015 compared to the same period last year, real wage growth was 2.4%. This increase was due to the increase in the minimum wage since January 2015, as it was the wages of unskilled workers that rose at a rate above average.
The average monthly gross earnings of full-time employees amounted to 3,624 euros in the reporting period, excluding bonuses. But even here not everything is smooth. As the statisticians themselves note, two-thirds of full-time employees actually earn less than 3,624 euros, since this figure is derived as an arithmetic mean (the sum of all wages divided by their number). Moreover, according to experts from the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK), wage growth, on the one hand, can boost personal consumption, but on the other hand, it may negatively affect the competitiveness of the German economy as a whole in the future.
And finally about unemployment. Overall, the picture is gratifying. According to Destatis and the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA), the number of unemployed in Germany in November 2015 fell to its lowest level in more than 24 years and amounted to 6% of the total working-age population. Including unemployment among men was 6.1%, women – 5.9%, and youth aged 15 to 20 – 3.5%, which is a record low for the entire European Union.
In the penultimate month of the outgoing year, Germany registered 2 million 633 thousand people looking for work, which is 16 thousand less than in October and 84 thousand less than in November 2014. Overall, for the 11 months of 2015, the unemployment rate was 6.2%, or 2 million 782 thousand people. That is, progress would seem to be evident. But it is not without reason that it is said that 'the devil is in the details'.
The all-knowing statisticians do not disclose data on the number of people employed part-time and on a part-week basis. These people seem to be employed in production, services, etc., but at the same time continue to receive various types of benefits from the budgets of cities and municipalities.