A man passes a sign of the Federal Employment Agency. (picture alliance/dpa)
German unemployment declined by just 20,000 over the month of June, impacted by the increasing signs of a cooling in Europe's largest economy, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) reported on Monday.
Total unemployment came in at 2.216 million in June, down 60,000 from the same month a year earlier, for a jobless rate of 4.9 per cent, unchanged from the May figure.
"Weaker economic growth is leaving its mark on the labour market," BA head Detlef Scheele said from the agency's headquarters in Nuremberg.
"The number of vacancies is declining at a high level and the growth in employment is losing impetus," Scheele added.
In June there were 798,000 vacancies registered with the BA, 8,000 fewer than in June last year.
Underemployment, which includes workers undergoing further training, came in at 3.17 million, up 6,000 on the month in seasonally-adjusted terms, but down 62,000 from a year earlier.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of people in employment in May - the latest month for which figures are available - was 45.28 million, 21,000 up on April this year and 462,000 higher than a year earlier.
The German government and analysts have cut their economic growth predictions in recent months. The government's spring forecast predicted growth at 0.5 per cent for 2019 and 1.5 per cent for 2020.
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