The International Labour Organisation (ILO) considers people of working age to be in one (and one only) of three situations in the labour market: employed, unemployed, or inactive. The employed and unemployed together are known as the labour force.
Read moreA closely watched indicator is the unemployment rate (the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labour force). The unemployment rate tracks what economists call “labour slack” – the match between the jobs on offer in an economy and the number of people seeking to work – and is a key indicator of a society’s economic and social well-being.
Read moreLabour force data are typically analysed by gender, age group (youth, prime age, older). They are also frequently broken down in many other ways for specific policy purposes: by economic sector, by occupation, by level of education, full- and part-time workers, the short- and long-term unemployed.
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OECD unemployment rate stable at 4.9% but rising among women in March 2024 |
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16 May 2024 - The OECD unemployment rate was stable at 4.9% in March 2024, continuing to remain below or at 5.0% for the last two years. In March, 15 OECD countries recorded a rate below or equal to 5.0% including Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the United States.
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Behind the numbers
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Further statistics on the labour market |
Related labour topics |