German unemployment still largely steady despite lockdown
Official data are showing that German unemployment held more or less steady in February despite the impact of lockdown measures
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.German unemployment held more or less steady in February despite the impact of lockdown measures, according to official data released Tuesday. Extensive use of a short-term salary support program is still keeping the figures in check.
The unadjusted jobless rate the headline figure in Germany, was unchanged from January at 6.3%. Just over 2.9 million people were registered as unemployed in the nation of 83 million — 4,000 more than the previous month and 509,000 more than a year earlier.
In seasonally adjusted terms, unemployment remained at 6%, though 9,000 more people were out of work than in January, the Federal Labor Agency said.
While that was the first increase in seasonally adjusted unemployment in February since 2014, it was “probably more the result of the harsh winter weather in February than the lockdowns,” ING economist Carsten Brzeski said.
Most stores have been closed in Germany since Dec. 16. Restaurants, bars, sports and leisure facilities have been closed since Nov. 2 and hotels are allowed only to accommodate business travelers. Industry has not been directly affected by lockdown measures.
Many elementary students returned to school last week and hairdressers reopened Monday. On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country's 16 state governors will confer on how to move forward.
Rises in unemployment in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, and elsewhere on the continent have been moderate by international standards. That is because employers are making heavy use of salary support programs, often referred to as furlough schemes, which allow them to keep employees on the payroll while they await better times.
In Germany, the labor agency pays at least 60% of the salary of employees who are on reduced or zero hours.
The labor agency said it paid support for 2.39 million people in December, the most recent month it has figures for. That was up slightly from 2.38 million in November and 2.01 million in October, but still far below a peak of nearly 6 million last April.