Germany's jobless rate falls to a 24-year low

Germany's jobless rate has fallen by 6,000 to 2.78 million, as Europe's biggest economy continues to recover.

The seasonally adjusted figure is at its lowest level since a year after German reunification in 1990. The head of the Federal Labour Office, Frank-Juergen Weise, said strong consumer consumption was helping to drive the downward trend.

A recent survey showed Germans are feeling more optimistic than at any point since October 2001. The chief economist at the government-owned KfW Development Bank, Joerg Zeuner, said demand for staff was rising in almost every sector, although it was weaker in manufacturing.

Private consumption has overtaken exports as the main impetus behind Germany's growth.

The government is hoping household spending will help the economy to expand by 1.8% this year, but economists at Deutsche Bank have lowered their forecast to 1.6%, because of weaker-than-expected first-quarter growth.

bbc.com