German jobless remains at record low

FRANKFURT: Unemployment in Germany remained at its lowest level since East and West Germany reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall, as Europe's top economy remains robust, data showed on Thursday.

The unemployment rate -- which measures the jobless total against the working population as a whole -- stood at 6.1 percent in June, unchanged from May, the federal labour office said in a statement.

In numerical terms, the number of people registered as unemployed in Germany declined by 6,000 to 2.69 million.



Unemployment now stands at the lowest level since West and East Germany reunited in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall the previous year.

In raw, or unadjusted, terms, the jobless total also decreased, falling by 50,000 to 2.614 million. The unemployment rate slipped to 5.9 percent in June from 6.0 percent in May, the office said.

"Despite the difficult environment, the German economy remains robust," the labour office said.

German gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.7 percent in the first quarter.



"Moderate growth can be expected during the rest of the year," the office said.