There were 974,000 jobs vacant in Germany during the first quarter of 2016, a decrease of 6%, or 64,000 jobs, compared to the last quarter of 2015, according to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency.

However, when compared to the same period last year, there was a 3% increase or 26,000 more.

According to the research, there was a consistently high demand for skilled professionals. Most vacancies recorded during the period of January to March 2016 were in West Germany, with 756,000. In the east, there were 218,000 vacant positions offered.