The number of people looking for work in Germany held steady at a seasonally adjusted 9.6 per cent in February after rising sharply in January, official figures showed today.
The number of unemployed rose by 1,000 last month to 3.979 million, the Bundesbank said, bringing the jobless rate to 9.6 per cent.
In raw or unadjusted terms, the German jobless total rose to 4.296 million in February from 4.29 million in January, the Federal Labour Office said in a statement.
A regional breakdown of the figures showed that western Germany is still being hit harder by the global economic downturn than eastern Germany because the export-orientated manufacturing sector carries greater economic weight in the west.
In unadjusted terms, a total 2.789 million people registered as unemployed in western Germany in February, little changed from 2.791 million January, and the unadjusted west German jobless rate stagnated at 8.3 per cent.
AFP