The number of unemployed people in Germany rose in line with analysts’ expectations in November, Labour Office figures showed on Thursday.

The Federal Labour Office said the number of people out of work increased by 22,000 in seasonally adjusted terms to 2.702 million.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the total to rise by 22,000.

“The economic downturn continues to leave its mark on the German labour market,” said Andrea Nahles, chairwoman of the Federal Employment Agency.

German unemployment rises more than expected in October

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate grew to 5.9% from 5.8% in October.

In November, there were 733,000 job openings, 90,000 fewer than a year ago, the Federal Labour Office said.

“Employment is only growing slightly and labour demand is still declining,” Nahles said.