German jobless total rises unexpectedly in May as economy slows

BERLIN: German unemployment rose unexpectedly in May for the first time in nearly two years, data showed on Wednesday, in a sign that a slowdown in Europe's largest economy is spilling over to the labour market.

The number of people out of work rose by 60,000 to 2.279 million in seasonally adjusted terms, according to data from the Federal Labour Office. That compared with the Reuters consensus forecast for a fall of 8,000.

The Labour Office said that the rise was mainly due to a special effect, but also to the slowing economy.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose to 5.0%.