Johannes Kopf, head of the (AMS), announced that the agency is recalculating unemployment benefits after discovering underpayments. Approximately 135 million euros will be distributed to more than 100,000 affected cases.
The is funding these back payments, which will be processed automatically without requiring an application. This occurs as October 2026 data shows 389,941 people are currently registered as unemployed or in AMS training programs.
While unemployment rose 0.5 percent overall, trends vary by demographic. Joblessness among women increased by 3.8 percent and those over 50 by 4.4 percent, prompting labor groups to propose a bonus-malus model to encourage the employment of older workers.