Berlin - German unemployment fell less than expected in April, data released Wednesday showed, amid signs of slowing growth in Europe's biggest economy.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment edged down by 7,000 to 3.299 million this month, the German labour agency said.

However, analysts had predicted that the numbers out of work in seasonally adjusted terms would drop by about 35,000 in April.

The release of the latest jobless data comes amid predictions that the German economy is facing a slowdown as the year unfolds.

Economists expect German economic growth to come in at well below 2 per cent this year after expanding by 2.5 per cent in
2007. The German economy grew by a perky 2.9 per cent in 2006.

In the more politically sensitive seasonally unadjusted terms, the numbers out of work in Germany fell 94,000 in April to 3.414 million, resulting in a slip in unemployment from 8.4 per cent to 8.1 per cent.

This was 563,000 fewer than in the same month last year, the labour agency said. A year ago the jobless rate stood at 9.5 per cent. (dpa)