The lockdown measures to combat the Coronavirus epidemic have led to the decline of Europe's largest economy. This raised the number of unemployed in Germany for the first time since last June, dashing expectations of a decline.
According to Arabiya Net, the Labor Office said in a statement that the number of the unemployed rose by 9,000, after adjusting in light of seasonal factors, to two million and 752 thousand. A Reuters poll had expected a decrease of 13 thousand.
Detlev Schelle, head of the Labor Office, said in a statement that the fewer hours work plan continues to secure widespread employment and prevent unemployment.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged compared to the previous month at 6%.
The office said that the number of workers working fewer hours in December amounted to approximately two million and 390 thousand employees under a government plan designed to avoid mass layoffs during periods of economic downturn by providing subsidies to companies to keep workers on payroll.
