German WWII Deutsches Reich Arbeitsbuch

A German worker's identification book bearing the printed title "Deutsches Reich" and "Arbeitsbuch" on a maroon cover with grey cloth spine. The cover displays the national eagle emblem grasping a wreathed swastika, rendered in silver-tone print with a decorative bordered frame. This document type served as a mandatory labor record book issued to workers within the Third Reich administrative system, used to track employment history and occupational qualifications.

The Arbeitsbuch was introduced by the Nazi state in 1935 as part of its labour control policy, administered through the Reichsanstalt fuer Arbeitsvermittlung und Arbeitslosenversicherung (Reich Institute for Labour Exchange and Unemployment Insurance). It was compulsory for most workers, recording employment history, skills and qualifications, and its possession was a prerequisite for legal employment, allowing authorities to direct labour according to the regime's economic and military priorities. The document became especially significant during the war years as a tool for managing and conscripting labour, including for armaments production.