German unemployment fell sharply in April, with the unadjusted headline figure below the politically-sensitive five million mark for the first time since December, Labour Office data showed on Thursday. The seasonally-adjusted jobless total dropped 79,000 in April from March to 4.889 million, the data showed, with the adjusted unemployment rate dipping to 11.8 percent from 12.0 percent. The performance was far better than the 18,000 rise expected by economists, but this was mainly due to a strong bounceback from depressed March job levels linked to cold weather. The Labour Office said 50,000 of the 79,000 decline was due to such special factors. On an unadjusted basis, Germany's jobless total fell 208,000 to 4.968 million, the biggest monthly decline for seven years. That fall brings the politically-charged headline figure below five million for the first time in four months and could give a boost to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder before a key state election next month. A rise above that threshold at the start of the year contributed to a sudden drop in public support for Schroeder.