German unemployment posts surprise fall in June

Unemployment in Germany posted a surprise fall in June, dropping by 12,000 to 2.943 million, dpa quoted the labour office as saying Thursday. It was the first decline in seasonally adjusted unemployment since February. Analysts had expected the data to show the numbers out of work climbing by 8,000. The June jobless rate stood at 6.8 per cent. "Overall, the German labour market remains in a good condition," labour office chief Frank-Juergen Weise said. "It continues to develop despite the difficult economic environment," he said. In seasonally unadjusted terms, unemployment dropped by 72,000 to 2.865 million in June. The unadjusted numbers out of work now stands at its lowest level since December last year.