No Spring Reprieve for Germany's Unemployed

Germany's unemployment rate fell slightly in March: 93,600 more people found a job than in February. Compared to the previous year, however, more people -- 4.5 million -- were unemployed. German federal labor office officials blamed the overall poor situation on the country's continuing economic problems, an assessment shared by Federal Economics and Labor Minister Wolfgang Clement. The unemployment rate now stands at 10.9 percent, slightly lower than February (11.1 percent). With 19.2 percent, eastern Germany's unemployment rate remained more than twice as high as that of the country's western states. Only a minority of Germans (27 percent) expect things to improve over the next decade, according to a survey by the Allensbach Institute released on Tuesday.