European Countries: Federal Labor Agency

Federal Labor Agency: The Federal Labor Agency said Thursday that 32,000 more people were unemployed in August compared with July, due largely to seasonal factors; the total number of registered jobless was 2.946 million. Summer vacations typically produce a rise as students register as unemployed, according to Times Colonist. Unemployment in Germany remains far lower than many European countries, where some have rates of more than 25 per cent. Among the 17 countries that use the euro, the rate is a record 12.1 per cent and BERLIN - The number of jobless Germans ticked up slightly in August but not enough to alter the unemployment rate, which remained stable at a healthy 6.8 per cent the last employment figures before the country's general elections. The German economy's health and the country's low jobless rate have been a major asset for the conservative Merkel ahead of parliamentary elections on Sept. 22, making it hard for rivals to generate any momentum for change. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.