BERLIN, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The number of unemployed people in Germany stood at 2.77 million in November, 17,000 less than in October, while the unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 5.9 percent, official data showed Friday.
However, seasonally adjusted figures revealed a different picture, showing a month-on-month increase of 7,000 unemployed during the same period, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) reported.
"The weak economy continues to weigh on the labor market," BA head Andrea Nahles said at a monthly press conference. She pointed out that while unemployment declined in November, the reduction was modest.
Compared to the same period last year, 168,000 more people lost their jobs in November.
The report also highlighted a significant rise in the number of workers receiving short-time work benefits, a government-backed scheme designed to preserve jobs by allowing employees to work reduced hours during periods of low demand. In November, 268,000 employees benefited from the scheme, up from 175,000 in August and 194,000 in July.
Klaus Wohlrabe, an expert at the Munich-based ifo institute, noted that Germany's industrial sector is coping with economic challenges through a mix of short-time work and planned layoffs, particularly in manufacturing. The latest ifo survey found that 17.8 percent of manufacturing companies implemented short-time work in November, an increase from 14.3 percent three months earlier.
Meanwhile, businesses in Germany are grappling with additional financial pressures due to rising wages. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported Friday that real wages have increased year-on-year for six consecutive quarters. In the third quarter of this year, real wages rose by 2.9 percent, while nominal wages grew by 4.9 percent.
