"Numbers of Germans out of work rose for the ninth month running in December but held close to a post-reunification low, adding to signs Europe’s largest economy remains relatively unscathed by the region’s crisis. Labour Office data showed the jobless figure rose by 3,000 in seasonally-adjusted terms to 2.942 million, much lower than the consensus forecast in a Reuters poll of 23 economists for a rise of 10,000." (Quoted from article)