The German car industry has not lost as many jobs as in the first half of the year. It is a time of crisis caused by factors such as trade tariffs or Chinese competition.
© Leonhard Simon/Getty Images
14/08/2026
by
Lusa
Nthe first six months of the year german car industry lost 42,300 jobs. 21 years ago (since 2005) there was not so much job loss at a time of crisis dictated by aspects such as trade tariffs or Chinese competition.
According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), these data represent a 5.8 percent drop, the largest among the main german industrial sectorswith over 200,000 employees.
“ With 691,500 workers, the number of employees in the automobile industry reached a new minimum: since 2005, there have never been so few people working in this sector“, says Destatis, in a statement.
However, the automobile industry remains the second largest industrial sector in Germany in terms of employment, behind mechanical engineering, which employed 905,900 workers at the end of the first half of 2026.
Inside the car industry, so much large manufacturers such as parts and accessories suppliers have reduced their frames employees.
On the other hand, among body suppliers, structures and trailers, the number of workers increased at the end of the first half of the year.
Specifically, the manufacture of vehicles and engines employed a total of 429,200 workers at the end of the first half of the year, 6.1 percent less than in the previous year.
In recent months, Volkswagen has been reporting on the possibility of eliminating up to 100,000 jobs in the coming years. The BMW is preparing to propose 40,000 voluntary exits and to cut about 8,000 posts in Germany.