April saw unemployment in Germany drop as the country's economy began to show signs of recovery, reports AFP.

Unadjusted figures showed that unemployment fell by almost half a percentage point from 8.5 per cent in March to 8.1 per cent.

According to the German Federal Labor Agency, 3.4 million people were out of work in the European nation - 162,000 fewer than in March. It is expected that Germany will not reach the symbolic four million mark in unemployment which plagued it for years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Tourism and construction saw vastly improved employment figures after a harsh winter and early Easter impacted the number of jobs available in both sectors.

Despite the change in labor levels, East Germany and Berlin still face higher than average numbers of people without work. In Berlin, 14.2 per cent of people were jobless.

The news came as Germany opted to examine Greece's economy before deciding whether to back an appeal for financial aid from the European Union member, Reuters said today (May 4th).