German Unemployment at Record Low

While much of the rest of the eurozone struggles with soaring unemployment, Germany's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since it reunified more than 20 years ago. The rate fell to 6.8% in December, helped by strong exports to China and unseasonably warm weather, which allowed construction companies to keep working, the BBC reports.

With nearly half a million job openings, Germany is the envy of its neighbors. But many wonder how long the country can remain unaffected by recessions elsewhere, the New York Times notes. "German unemployment mastered the dual impact of the debt crisis and weakening economic growth in 2011, but these risks remain, accompanying us as we enter the new year," warned the chief of the government's labor agency. (More European Union stories.)