In the past year, an average of 41.78 million German residents were employed, either self-employed or by employers, 0.6 percent higher than the statistics in 2012 and an increase for seven consecutive years, German Federal Statistical Office said.
According to provisional estimates of the office, the number of unemployed people in Germany by an average of 36,000 to just under 2.3 million in 2013, one of the lowest in the European Union.
The jobless rate fell to 5.2 percent in 2013, which was lower than in almost all other EMU member countries. In the service branches, the number of persons in employment increased by a total of 227,000 or 0.7 percent in 2013.
A survey by the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses in December found that about 53 percent of small and medium-sized companies expected a good business situation in the new year, and 32 percent planned to make more investment.
As for employment, 35 percent of SMEs had a plan to hire additional staff in 2014, while 58 percent would keep the number of their employees unchanged, according to the survey
The producing branches, too, recorded employment gains in 2013, which were, however, less pronounced than in the previous year. Employment rose by 17,000 in industry, and by 20,000 in construction.
Meanwhile, in agriculture, forestry and fishing, the average number of persons in employment dropped by 31,000.
Economists expected the German economy to expand 1.7 percent in the new year, compared with the 2013 projection of 0.5 percent, thanks to a recovery of the global economy, strong private consumption and a rebound of investment.
Source : http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com & MINA
