Germany's unemployment increased 13,000 in March from the prior month, the Federal Labor Agency said Thursday. It was forecast to fall by 2,000.

The jobless rate remained unchanged at seasonally adjusted 6.9 percent in March, data showed. The rate came in line with economists' expectations.

The Federal Statistical Office earlier on the day said that the unemployment rate, as per the International Labor Organization measure, stayed unchanged at 5.4 percent in February. The number of unemployed persons remained broadly unchanged at around 2.3 million.