German joblessness rose for a seventh month in a row in October, highlighting the vulnerability of Europe's biggest economy to the eurozone crisis.
Economists expect the trend to reverse, however, as growth revives in the new year.
The number of Germans out of a job rose to 2.937 million in October, up 20,000 from the previous month. The consensus forecast in a Reuters poll of 31 economists was for unemployment to rise by 10,000.
Joblessness, however, remains near its lowest level since German reunification more than two decades ago. Labour Office data released on Tuesday showed the unemployment rate steady at 6.9 percent.
This stands in marked contrast to the chronic joblessness suffered by weaker members of the eurozone such as Spain, where one in every two young people is unemployed.
"The weaker economic situation is having a noticeable impact on the (German) labor market. However, the jobs market overall is proving robust and is in good shape," said Frank-Juergen Weise, head of the Labour Office.
The global slowdown and the eurozone's three-year debt crisis are weighing on companies' readiness to invest and recent surveys have shown business confidence in Europe's powerhouse economy sagging badly.