The number of employees in the German automotive industry has fallen to a new low since 2011.

Data released by the German Federal Statistical Office on the 20th showed that due to layoffs, the number of people employed in the German automotive industry decreased by 48,700 as of the end of the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, a year-on-year decrease of 6.3%. The total number of employees in the industry is currently 721,400, the lowest level since 2011. Statistics show that within the automotive industry, suppliers are far more affected by layoffs than original equipment manufacturers. As of the end of the third quarter, there were a total of 446,800 employees in the German automotive manufacturing sector, a decrease of 3.8% year-on-year. In the supplier sector, the number of employees in the body and trailer manufacturing sector was around 39,200, a year-on-year decrease of 4.0%; the number of employees in the auto parts sector was around 235,400, a decrease of 11.1% compared to the previous year.