On Thursday 13 November, Germany's Bundestag passed a bill to modernise and digitalise the country’s system for tackling undeclared work and financial crime. In future, the relevant department at the finance ministry will have independent access to the police information system and to tax and social security information. This should speed up investigations and, with the help of big data, enable the profiling and targeting of potential offenders at an early stage.
Studies on the issue are scarce, but the German Economic Institute (IW) in Cologne estimated in early 2025 that at least 3.3 million people were working illegally in Germany in 2024 – a conservative figure. Researchers suggest the real number could be as high as 8 to 10 million.
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Article authors
Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in Germany
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.