A slight decrease in people registered as unemployed in Germany kept the figure at historic lows in April, official data showed Wednesday, as good times persist for Europe's largest economy. The out of work figure adjusted for seasonal effects held steady at 5.8 percent this month, with 15,000 fewer on registries at the Federal Labour Agency (BA). It was steady at its lowest level since reunification in 1990 and in line with analysts' forecasts.

In unadjusted terms, more closely watched in Germany, the number of unemployed fell by 93,000 to 2.56 million people. "The number of people out of work fell significantly again with the continuing spring pick-up" in the economy, BA chief Detlef Scheele said in a statement. Germany's economy has entered a virtuous cycle in recent months, with higher consumer spending powering growth and encouraging companies to hire more workers - which in turn feeds into more spending. A "solid as a rock" labour market "will remain an important driver for the entire economy," predicted ING Diba bank economist Carsten Brzeski.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017