European jobless rate up modestly, Germany mulls stimulus

European jobless rate up modestly, Germany mulls stimulus

BERLIN: Europe's unemployment rate ticked up modestly last month, contained by use of labor programs that have kept millions of workers on payrolls, official data showed Wednesday.. Europe's rise in unemployment has been moderate by international standards because employers are making extensive use of government-backed short-time work programs that allows them to keep employees on the payroll while they await better times.. In Germany, Europe's largest economy, the federal labor agency pays at least 60 percent of the salary of employees who are on reduced or zero hours.. In the US, which has fewer automatic furlough schemes than Europe, the jobless rate has rocketed to almost 15 percent from 4 percent before the crisis.. Officials want the new tourism guidelines to reassure travelers, without being off-putting. Antigua and Barbuda, the US Virgin Islands and St. Lucia are the first to reopen this week.. The islands reopening will conduct health screening, including temperature checks upon arrival, and require or encourage the use of face masks in public spaces.. Antigua and Barbuda and the US Virgin Islands have respectively just one and two reported cases, officials said..