In 2012, the Germans stopped to massively move from East to West, as they did during two last decades, according to ee24.com citing The Local. For the first time since 1990 from East to West moved as many people as in the opposite direction.
In 2000-2005, 400 thousand people migrated from East Germany, and during the 23 years after reunification, East Germany has lost 13% of its population. In the past year, only two thousand East Germans decided to move.
The main reason for the stabilization of migration is a general improvement in the economic situation and increasing the material welfare in the eastern part of the country. However, East Germans' incomes still do not meet West standards. Salary in the East is about 80% of the salary in the West. Unemployment has reached 10,7%, a record low for last 20 years, but it is still double higher than in West Germany.