German Employment Data

The German Federal Employment Agency (Institute for Employment Research, IAB) and the University of Michigan together support an international data sharing initiative. This collaborative research endeavor provides approved researchers with restricted access to confidential German administrative microdata. In addition to University of Michigan, there are now several locations outside of Germany where these data are available, including Princeton University, University of California at Berkeley, Harvard University, University of California Los Angeles, and Cornell University.

The data come from the German Social Security system and provide information on both individuals and households and employers. They include detailed information on employment, unemployment benefit receipts, participation in labor market programs and registered job search, and a large number of socio-economic characteristics. This unique data base can be linked to IAB surveys and German pension data.

To learn more about the FDZ and IAB data in detail please visit the Research Data Centre (FDZ) of the Federal Employment Agency at the Institute for Employment Research. All data products available are provided free of charge. The FDZ/IAB data access site in Ann Arbor is located in the Physical Data Enclave, ICPSR – Institute for Social Research, Perry Building, 330 Packard Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.