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German Unemployment Keeps Falling

May 31, 2005
https://p.dw.com/p/6ihH

German unemployment fell for the third month running in May, official data showed on Tuesday, but the improvement had more to do with seasonal factors than any genuine upturn in the labor market. A total of 4.807 million people were out of work, a drop of 161,000 compared with April's figures, representing an unemployment rate of 11.6 percent from 12.0 percent in April. The number of unemployed fell by 92,000 people in the western part of Germany where most industry is concentrated, and by 69,000 in the former communist eastern part of the country. But the jobless rate remains almost twice as high in the east, with 18.9 percent, against 9.7 percent in western Germany, according to data published by the Federal Labor Agency. Despite the slight improvement, the number of unemployed has risen by 513,400 in the space of one year. Analysts believe the jobless total will fall by a further 150,000 in May as the better weather leads to recruitment in the construction, agriculture and hotel and caterings sectors.