The number of employed persons in Germany rose by 1.1% in January compared with the same month last year, Statistiches Bundesamt, the German federal statistical office, reported Friday. The year-over-year rate of change was similar to the previous two months. In total, 44.7 million were employed in Germany during January.

January’s employment number, when compared to December’s, fell 0.6%; however, the decrease was smaller than the average of the last five years. The office noted the month-over-month decline in January is common because of typically worse weather conditions during this period.

The unemployment rate was 3.4% in January, down from 3.6% in January 2018. The unemployment rate in December was 3.1%.