German jobless numbers remained above five million after rising by 36,000 to 5.048 million or 12.2 per cent of the workforce, the Labour Office said today.
Winter weather usually causes a rise in jobless numbers as companies in construction and agriculture lay off workers, but this year's exceptionally icy conditions have led to more redundancies than normal.
But Germany's seasonally adjusted jobless total fell less than expected in February as cold weather held headline unemployment above the politically sensitive five million mark for a second month running.
The seasonally adjusted total fell by 5,000 in February to 4.695 million, the Federal Labour Office said.
Labour Office chief Frank-Juergen Weise said if the harsh winter weather continued there was a risk the headline jobless figure could remain above five million in March. But his office's overall assessment of the jobs market remained upbeat despite the rise in the unadjusted figure.
Economists forecast a modest improvement in subsequent months although they did not expect a dramatic change.