German unemployment falls in April

BERLIN, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of unemployed Germans fell again in April, figures by the Federal Labor Office showed on Friday.

According to the Nuremberg-based government agency, the monthly number of unemployed declined by 74,000 to no more than 2.4 million in April, hitting the record low since the re-unification in 1990.

The unemployment rate was estimated at 5.3 percent, marking a decline of 0.2 percentage point.

On a seasonally-adjusted basis, the number of unemployed amounted to 2.37 million. Around 6,000 less Germans were out of work in Western Germany and 2,000 in East Germany respectively in April compared to March.

"The economic impulses of spring are continuing to be felt in April," Federal Labor Officer director Detlef Scheele commented on the figures.

Scheele noted, however, that the rate of decline recorded was still slightly lower than that of the winter period prior to the first quarter (Q1) of 2018, which was unusually strong for the German labor market.

The government agency highlighted that demand for new workers remained at extremely high levels. The number of registered vacancies at the Federal Labor Office rose by 78,000 to 784,000 in April compared with the same period last year. On a monthly and seasonally-adjusted basis, there were 7,000 more jobs openings.

The figures came shortly after the government downgraded its own growth forecast slightly for 2018 and several economic research institutes warned that there were mounting signs that the peak of Germany's ongoing economic boom has already been reached. Enditem