German unemployment drops lower than predicted in March
March 30, 2012
The German economy has been struggling, but recent quarterly reports indicate things may be looking up for the job market. The nation's unemployment rate dropped to 7.2 percent in March, The Washington Post reports. The number of people registered as unemployed (3.028 million) is down 82,000 from February's numbers. Even more impressive is the year-over-year improvement, and there were approximately 182,000 more unemployed people in Germany during March of last year. These improvements give economists hope that Germany's overall economy is starting to regain its strength.
"it looks like the crisis may slowly die down," Hendrik Enderlein, a political scientist from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, said on the radio, according to BusinessWeek. "The embers are still glowing, but the flames aren't burning anymore."
This good news also coincides nicely with Chancellor Angela Merkel's bold claim that the nation's debt crisis may have peaked. Germany's economy is expected to grow 0.6 percent this year, while the overall euro-region is predicted to see a 0.3 percent decline, the news source reports.
Those who are living or working outside the country can make calls to Germany with international phone cards to ask their friends about new jobs and the effect the improvements are having across the country.