Unemployment drops in Germany

BER LIN — Germany’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.5 per cent in April as the labour market in Europe’s largest economy remained strong.

The Federal Labor Agency said Thursday the unadjusted rate was down from 6.8 per cent in March. Some 2.8 million Germans were registered as unemployed, about 89,000 fewer than the previous month.

In seasonally adjusted terms the unemployment remained unchanged at 6.4 per cent.

ING economist Carsten Brzeski says even though there is “still some room for improvement, the extremely solid labour market remains the showcase model of the German recovery.”