The number of people out of work in Germany rose significantly less than expected in August, Federal Labour Office figures showed on Friday.
The office said the number of unemployed grew by 2,000 in seasonally adjusted terms to 2.8 million. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected that figure to rise by 16,000.
The seasonally adjusted job rate remained stable at 6.0%.
There were 699,000 job openings registered with the labour office in August, 72,000 fewer than a year ago, pointing to a slowdown in labour demand.
When looking at the unadjusted number, the number of unemployed grew by 63,000 to 2.9 million, its highest level in three-and-a-half years.
"The labour market continues to feel the effects of economic stagnation," said the chairwoman of the Federal Labour Office Andrea Nahles, noting that unemployment grew over the summer.
