Labor market: number of unemployed increases slightly in December

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Employment agency in Hamburg: Spring 2020 will continue to have an effect

Photo: Georg Wendt / DPA

The corona crisis caused unemployment in Germany to rise for the first time since 2013.

On an annual average in 2020, the number climbed by 429,000 to just under 2.7 million, as the Federal Employment Agency (BA) announced on Tuesday.

"The slump in the labor market in the spring is still having an impact," said BA boss Detlef Scheele.

The consequences of the corona pandemic and the measures to contain it are still very clearly visible.

"However, the stabilizing effect of short-time work has secured employment and prevented higher unemployment."

In December alone, unemployment climbed slightly from the previous month by 8,000 to 2.7 million.

Within a year this was an increase of 480,000.

"The number of unemployed people rose in December - but not as much as usual in this month," explained Scheele.

Seasonally adjusted, the number of unemployed fell by 37,000 compared to the month, while economists had expected an increase of 10,000.

The advertisements for short-time work had increased again to a limited extent, said Scheele on the development in December.

In October, companies used short-time working for 1.99 million employees.

In April it was just under six million.

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mik / Reuters