The German unemployment rate edged up to 7.7% in July, official figures show today.
The number of unemployed workers nonetheless fell by 20,000, seasonally corrected figures by the national employment agency showed, slightly more than a forecast of 15,000 by analysts.
By the end of the month, Germany had a total of 3.21 million unemployed people, whereas the head of the agency had said in June that there was a 50-50 chance of the number falling below 3 million in July.
The agency had already warned that a sharp drop in unemployment from 12% in 2005 would not continue at such a brisk pace.
