Frankfurt: Unemployment in Germany fell to a new low in May as the recovery in Europe's biggest economy continues, data showed on Tuesday.
The unemployment rate -- which measures the jobless total against the working population as a whole -- fell to 6.1 percent in May from 6.2 percent in April, the federal labour office said in a statement.
In numerical terms, the number of people registered as unemployed in Germany declined by 11,000, the statement said.
Economists had been pencilling in a slight smaller drop of around 5,000.
At current levels, 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 decreased, falling by 79,800 to 2.664 million. The unemployment rate fell to 6.0 percent in May from 6.3 percent in April, the office said.
"In the first quarter of 2016, the German economy saw a substantial boost in growth," the labour office said.
German gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.7 percent in the period from January to March, more than double the growth seen in the preceding three months.
"For the rest of the year, the moderate trend is expected to continue," the office said.
AFP
