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First Posted: 1/3/2013
(AP) Germany’s unemployment rate crept up to 6.7 percent in December due to seasonal factors and a more sluggish economy, but the labor market remained robust.
The Federal Labor Agency said Thursday the unadjusted jobless rate was up from 6.5 percent in November. Some 2.84 million people were registered unemployed in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy 80,000 more than the previous month and 60,000 higher than a year earlier.
Germany’s economy has enjoyed robust growth that kept down unemployment even as many debt-troubled European partners have seen output shrink and joblessness soar. Still, the economy saw slower growth in 2012 than in previous years.
In seasonally adjusted terms, the unemployment rate was static at 6.9 percent in December, while the number of jobless was 3,000 higher than the previous month.
Associated Press