Ranking and evolution of OECD unemployment rate

The unemployment rate in all OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) remained stable at 5.3% in August 2018, according to the latest data published by this international organization that it groups 36 countries.

In absolute terms, a total of 33.5 million people were unemployed in the OECD countries, one million more than the number of unemployed that had just over ten years ago, in April 2008, just before the start of the global financial crisis.

In the eurozone, the unemployment rate stood at 8.1% last August, one tenth less than the previous month. Spain, with an unemployment rate of 15.2%, is the second OECD country with the highest percentage of unemployed workers, second only to Greece.

In some OECD countries, unemployment was reduced in August: in Italy it was 9.7% after falling half a point, and in Japan it fell by one tenth to reach 2.4%. In Mexico (3.3%) and the United States (3.9%) it remained stable, while it rose in Canada (two tenths, to stand at 6%) and in South Korea (4 tenths to 4.2 %). Subsequent data, corresponding to the month of September, have placed the unemployment rate in the United States at 3.7%, the lowest since December 1969.

In the next Postdata article, unemployment data will be analyzed in OECD countries for men and women and for the youth population.