Ministry: joblessness nearly double official figures
AFP - [email protected]
Published: 12 Mar, 2008 CET.
Updated: Wed 12 Mar 2008 12:31 CET
The real number of unemployed in Germany is nearly twice as high as officially reported figures since some people without jobs are not counted, the Labour Ministry admitted on Wednesday.
The Ministry said unemployed people over 58 years of age were not included in the headline figure, which last month was 3.617 million people. The revelation came in response to a request from an opposition member of parliament.
A spokeswoman for the Labour Ministry defended its statistical methods, saying "this is nothing new, and there are mechanisms of this kind in all countries."
An upswing in the German growth and government reforms have led to a fall in unemployment in Europe's largest economy, which stood at over five million in early 2006.
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The Ministry said unemployed people over 58 years of age were not included in the headline figure, which last month was 3.617 million people. The revelation came in response to a request from an opposition member of parliament.
A spokeswoman for the Labour Ministry defended its statistical methods, saying "this is nothing new, and there are mechanisms of this kind in all countries."
An upswing in the German growth and government reforms have led to a fall in unemployment in Europe's largest economy, which stood at over five million in early 2006.
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