German jobless rate up to 8.3 per cent

BERLIN: Germany's unemployment rate edged up to 8.3 per cent in August, government figures showed Tuesday, the last set of jobs data before an election later this month.

The unadjusted jobless rate was up from 8.2 per cent in July, the Federal Labor Agency said. The number of people registered as unemployed rose 9,000 on the month to 3.472 million.

Germany is just beginning to emerge from a deep recession. Jobless figures have crept up recently, although the impact of the crisis has not yet been dramatic because many employers have used government-backed short-time working arrangements to preserve jobs.

Germans go to the polls Sept. 27 in an election in which Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking a second term.

The unemployment rate stood at 11.4 per cent just before the last election in 2005, with more than 4.7 million people out of work.