German unemployment rose in July as the traditional summer slump in the job market carried the jobless rate up to 11.5%, according to unadjusted figures released today. The rate in June had been 11.3%.
Around 68,000 people were added to the jobless figures in July, bringing the total up to 4.77 million, the Federal Labour Agency calculated. It said the rise was due to the influx of university graduates onto the job market and the traditionally slower pace of the economy in the summer months.
Unemployment is the main issue in the German general election to take place on September 18. Joblessness in Germany breached the five-million mark in the first quarter of this year for the first time since World War 2.
Germany's unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percent in July, the Federal Labour Office said.

The number of jobless Germans dropped by 42 thousand to 4.8 million, but without seasonal adjustments, including summer breaks in job training and jobseeker holidays, it grew by 68 thousand and is close to a post-war record. Unemployment is projected to rise by 370 thousand by year end, according to German research institute IAB. 

Labour-market problems remain the main issue of the Bundestag election campaign. Chancellor Schröder's government is blamed for the failure of his social policy reform known as Hartz IV and growing unemployment. In recent polls the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) got 27 percent of the vote whilst the opposition Christian Democrats got 44 percent.