BERLIN, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- In 2022, the full-year average jobless figure in Germany stood at 2.42 million, almost 200,000 fewer than in 2021, the Federal Labor Agency (BA) said Tuesday.
The unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage points to an annual average of 5.3 percent.
High inflation, economic uncertainties and the influx of refugees from Ukraine had "definitely left their mark on the German labor market," BA chief Andrea Nahles said in a statement. "However, given the extent of the burdens, this mark is moderate."
A total of 185,000 Ukrainians were registered as unemployed in Germany at the end of last year, up from only 8,000 in February, according to the latest BA figures. The arrival of Ukrainian refugees pushed up the unemployment rate in the second half of the year.
In December 2022, there were more than 2.45 million jobless people in Germany, around 125,000 more than a year ago, according to the BA.
Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil said on Tuesday that the labor market was "still stable at the end of 2022 despite the tense economic situation." This was "positive news for the new year." ■
