The number of employees in Germany grew by 1.5% in the second quarter of 2017, when compared to the same quarter last year, according to figures from Destatis, the Federal Statistical Office.

The figures showed there were 44.2 million employees in Germany during the second quarter, up by 664,000 compared to last year.

According to Destatis, the majority of employment growth came from the services sector. The public service providers, education and health grew by 2.1% and corporate services grew by 2.6%, compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, employment fell for the banks and insurance companies with employment down by 1.3%. The manufacturing sector saw a growth of 0.2% for the same period.

Figures from Eurostat showed that unemployment in Germany for June stood at 3.8%.