Rösler: "Progress on the labour market strengthens domestic economy"
Commenting on the labour market figures published today by the Federal Statistical Office and the Federal Employment Agency, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology Dr. Philipp Rösler stated:
"The labour market has successfully bridged the period of cyclical weakness in the previous winter half-year. It continues to be in a robust state. The number of unemployed persons has again fallen to fewer than three million. The increase in employment is continuing. The labour market results are also expected to be positive at the end of this year.
However, the upswing on the labour market will not happen automatically. It is vital that we prevent potential new hurdles for more employment in order to guarantee that the labour market continues to be a major pillar of the economy. This is a decisive element for cyclical stability in Germany and in Europe, especially in view of the external economic risks."
Background information:
As reported today by the Federal Statistical Office, about 41.21 million persons whose workplace is in Germany (domestic concept) were employed in March 2012. This was 596,000 more than in March 2011. Compared with the previous month, the number of employed persons rose by 29,000 after seasonal adjustment.
The number of persons employed in jobs subject to the payment of social security contributions increased to 28.61 million in February. This corresponded to a year-on-year rise of 694,000. It represented an increase of 54,000 over the previous month (seasonally adjusted).
According to Federal Employment Agency figures, the number of jobless persons registered in April was 2.963 million; this represented a drop of 65,000 compared with the previous month. In year-on-year terms, 115,000 fewer persons were unemployed. In April the number of jobless persons was 19,000 higher than in the previous month after seasonal adjustment. This was also due to special factors such as the fact that the date for compiling the statistics was in the middle of the Easter holiday and the pronounced reduction of labour market policy measures.
