Key facts
- German unemployment rose by 12,000 in September, exceeding forecasts.
- The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at 6.4%.
- The unadjusted unemployment figure fell slightly below 3 million.
- The head of the labor office stated economic improvement is not yet reaching the labor market.
The number of unemployed people in Germany increased by 12,000 in September, a rise significantly larger than the 1,000 predicted by analysts polled by Reuters. This brought the seasonally adjusted total to 3.01 million. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate, however, remained stable at 6.4%. The overall unadjusted figure for unemployed individuals dipped slightly below the 3 million mark, after exceeding it for two consecutive months. Andrea Nahles, head of the labor office, noted that the typical autumn pickup in the labor market has started sluggishly this year, indicating that economic improvements have not yet translated to the labor market.