Unemployment in Germany, Europe's largest economy, drops to 6.5 percent in April

Germany's unemployment rate dropped to 6.5 percent in April as the labor market in Europe's largest economy remained strong.

The Federal Labor Agency said Thursday the unadjusted rate was down from 6.8 percent in March. Some 2.8 million Germans were registered as unemployed, about 89,000 fewer than the previous month.

In seasonally adjusted terms the unemployment remained unchanged at 6.4 percent.

ING economist Carsten Brzeski says even though there is "still some room for improvement, the extremely solid labor market remains the showcase model of the German recovery."