Germany?s unemployment rate rose to 12.6 percent in February, the highest since World War II. The increase has been attributed to the bitterly cold winter which put many construction employees out of work, and a statistical change to now count able-bodied recipients of social welfare payments as unemployed. Seasonal unemployment typically peaks in February, so the unemployment rate may decrease in the coming months.
See "German Unemployment Reaches 12.6 %", Carter Dougherty, The New York Times, March 1, 2005