Unemployment in Germany fell by less than expected in April, but officials stressed it did not necessarily mean that economic conditions were worsening.
The number of people out of work in Europe's largest economy came to 3.4 million, down 94,000 from March and more than half a million fewer than a year earlier, the Labour Office said. The jobless rate fell 0.3 percentage points from March to 8.1%.
A seasonal bounce in the labour market is normal in April as the weather improves but the employment gain this year was less marked.
The Labour Office said that was the result of a mild winter and computer problems which meant that people finding work did not come off the jobless register. Even when adjusted for some of these effects, the fall was just 7,000 - in March it was 55,000.
'But for now this should not be interpreted as a weakening of the economy,' the office said in a statement. 'Developments in the labour market continue to be driven by good economic conditions,' Labour Office chief Frank Weise said.
