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 today.
The German unemployment rate - which measures the jobless total against the working population as a whole - stood at 6.1% 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 milion.
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% in June from 6% in May, the office said.
"Despite the difficult environment, the German economy remains robust," Germany's labour office said.
German gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.7% in the first quarter.
"Moderate growth can be expected during the rest of the year," the office said.
Earlier figures today showed that German retail sales bounced back in May after falling for two consecutive months.
The figures will give some reassurance that consumer spending will continue to propel growth in Europe's largest economy as foreign demand weakens.
German retail sales grew by 0.9% in real terms on the month, the country's Federal Statistics Office said.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a slightly weaker rise of 0.7%.
In another positive sign for domestic demand, the data for April was revised up to a decline of only 0.3% from a previously reported fall of 0.9%.
On the year, retail sales rose by 2.6% in real terms, compared with an upwardly revised increase of 2.7% the previous month. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a rise of 3% in May.
In the less volatile period from January to May, retail sales jumped by 2% in real terms compared with the same time in 2015, the office said.
The data came after a survey showed yesterday that German consumer morale reached its highest level in nearly a year heading into July, indicating that private consumption is likely to support growth in Europe's biggest economy over the summer.
The spending power of German consumers is currently boosted by record high employment, rising real wages and ultra-low borrowing costs, making domestic demand the most important growth driver.
