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 unchanged at 4.8% in January 2024 |
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14 Mar 2024 - The OECD unemployment rate was broadly stable at 4.8% in January 2024, having remained below 5.0% since July 2022. The rate was unchanged in 23 OECD countries in January, rose in 6 countries, and declined in only 3 countries. The number of unemployed persons in the OECD decreased to 33.5 million in January, mainly driven by a decrease in the number of unemployed younger workers (aged 15-24).
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Behind the numbers
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Further statistics on the labour market |
Related labour topics |