Schmidt pushes job plan amid stiff unemployment

West German unemployment rose last month to almost 2 million -- or 8.2 percent of the work force -- the highest January total in 27 years, the government announced.

At the same time, West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt announced proposals for a $5.3 billion job creation program.

Although unemployment in West Germany is still among the lowest in Western Europe, the rate of increase in recent months has been one of the highest.