The number of people employed in Germany in 2019 was the highest since the German reunification in 1991, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office. However, the rate of employment growth slowed in the past year.

Employed people in Germany increased by 0.9% in 2019 from the previous year, down from the 1.4% year-over-year increase in 2018, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

The increase in 2019 represented an additional 402,000 people in employment to a total of 45.3 million people in employment during the year.

Overall, employment has increased for the past 14 years.

“Higher labour force participation of the domestic population and the immigration of foreign workers more than offset the effects of demographic change, so that the number of persons in employment in 2019 was the highest since German reunification in 1991,” according to the Office.