The number of unemployed people in Germany fell by a much bigger than expected 108,000 in seasonally adjusted terms in December, a source familiar with the official data said today.
The month-on-month drop, the ninth consecutive decline, was more than twice as steep as a consensus forecast for the total to fall by 45,000 on the month.
The politically-sensitive unadjusted jobless total, which dipped under the 4 million mark in November for the first time in four years, rose by 12,000 in December to 4.008 million, the source said.
