German unemployment rises slightly less than expected in August

BERLIN, Aug. 28 (Reuters) - The number of unemployed people in Germany rose slightly less than expected in August, labour office figures showed on Friday.

In seasonally adjusted terms, the jobless figure grew by 4,000 to 2.996 million, while analysts polled by Reuters had predicted an increase of 5,000.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained stable at 6.4%.

The overall unadjusted number of unemployed people remained over the 3 million mark for the second month in a row in August, rising by 36,260 to reach 3.061 million in total.

"Even in August, the labour market shows little momentum beyond the usual seasonal patterns," labour office head Andrea Nahles said in a statement.

"This marks a continuation of the subdued trend seen in recent months."

Unemployment figures regularly rise starting in July due to the summer break. This has been compounded by a relatively sluggish economy.

However, signs of stronger economic growth have recently increased, which could have a positive impact on the labour market: A survey from the Ifo economic institute found that job cuts had slowed in August.

The institute's key business climate index also rose more than expected in August, following stronger exports and industrial production.

In total, 656,000 job openings were registered with the labour office in August, 25,000 more than a year ago.