BERLIN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Germany's unemployed fell by 49,000 in March but remained above the 3 million mark for a third consecutive month, official data showed Tuesday, pointing to a still fragile labor market despite signs of a modest economic recovery.
The number of unemployed stood at 3.02 million in March, according to the Federal Employment Agency (BA). The jobless rate edged down by 0.1 percentage point to 6.4 percent, but stayed at a relatively high level.
On a year-on-year basis, unemployment rose by 54,000, underscoring persistent underlying weakness.
"As usual, the labor market sees a spring recovery in March, but this year without any notable momentum," BA head Andrea Nahles told a press conference.
Germany's jobless total had climbed above 3 million in January amid a prolonged economic downturn, reaching its highest level in 12 years.
The latest BA data also showed that jobseekers continued to struggle to find new employment, as labor demand remained subdued. The number of registered job vacancies totaled 638,000 in March, down about 5,000 from a year earlier.
Following three years of economic weakness, German companies have been cutting jobs across sectors, particularly in the hard-hit industrial sector. But there were tentative signs layoffs were easing. The March employment barometer published by the ifo Institute rose slightly to 93.4 points from 93.1 in February.
Still, industrial companies continued planning job cuts, and the institute cautioned that the index uptick should not be viewed as a turnaround. Ongoing geopolitical tensions could further place a greater burden on Germany's labor market in the months ahead, it said. ■