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.
Read moreOECD unemployment rate remains below 5.0% in July 2023 for the 13th consecutive month
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13 Sept 2023 - The OECD unemployment rate was broadly stable at 4.8% in July 2023, remaining below 5.0% for over a year (Figure 1.1). The unemployment rate rose in 15 OECD countries in July 2023, including Denmark, Lithuania, and Austria, was unchanged in 9 and declined in 9. Unemployment was at or close to its record low in only five countries in July, including Germany and the United States (Figure 2). The number of unemployed persons in the OECD increased to 32.9 million in July but remained close to its minimum reached in April 2023.
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Behind the numbers
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Further statistics on the labour market |
Related labour topics |