| Unemployment rates and long-term unemployment | ||||||||||
Unemployment rate % of labour force | Youth unemployment rate % of youth labour force (15-24) | Long-term unemployment (12 months and over) % of total unemployment | ||||||||
1998 | 2007 | 2008 | 1998 | 2007 | 2008 | 1998 | 2007 | 2008 | ||
Australia | 7.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 14.6 | 9.4 | 8.9 | 29.7 | 15.4 | 14.9 | |
Austria | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 5.8 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 30.3 | 26.8 | 24.2 | |
Belgium | 9.4 | 7.7 | 6.4 | 20.4 | 19.2 | 14.3 | 61.7 | 50.0 | 52.6 | |
Canada | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 15.2 | 11.2 | 11.6 | 13.8 | 7.5 | 7.2 | |
Czech Republic | 6.5 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 12.4 | 10.7 | 9.9 | 31.2 | 53.4 | 50.2 | |
Denmark | 5.1 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 26.9 | 18.2 | 16.1 | |
Finland | 11.5 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 22.0 | 15.7 | 14.8 | 27.5 | 23.0 | 18.2 | |
France | 11.9 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 25.4 | 18.7 | 18.1 | 44.2 | 40.4 | 37.9 | |
Germany | 9.3 | 8.7 | 7.6 | 9.0 | 11.7 | 10.4 | 52.6 | 56.6 | 53.4 | |
Greece | 11.0 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 29.7 | 22.0 | 20.6 | 54.9 | 50.3 | 49.6 | |
Hungary | 7.8 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 14.0 | 18.0 | 19.9 | 50.1 | 47.6 | 47.6 | |
Iceland | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.2 | 8.2 | 16.1 | 8.0 | 4.1 | |
Ireland | 8.0 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 11.6 | 8.7 | 10.5 | .. | 30.3 | 29.4 | |
Italy | 11.9 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 32.1 | 20.3 | 21.3 | 59.6 | 49.9 | 47.5 | |
Japan | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 20.3 | 32.0 | 33.3 | |
Korea | 7.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 15.9 | 8.8 | 9.3 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 2.7 | |
Luxembourg | 2.8 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 6.4 | 14.9 | 13.5 | 31.3 | 34.5 | 38.6 | |
Mexico | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 1.7 | |
Netherlands | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 8.1 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 47.9 | 41.7 | 36.3 | |
New Zealand | 7.5 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 14.6 | 9.7 | 11.0 | 19.3 | 5.7 | 4.4 | |
Norway | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 9.1 | 7.3 | 7.5 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 6.0 | |
Poland | 10.9 | 9.7 | 7.2 | 23.2 | 21.7 | 17.3 | 37.4 | 45.9 | 29.0 | |
Portugal | 5.2 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 10.3 | 16.6 | 16.4 | 44.7 | 47.3 | 48.3 | |
Slovak Republic | 12.6 | 11.0 | 9.6 | 25.1 | 20.1 | 18.9 | 51.3 | 70.8 | 66.1 | |
Spain | 18.7 | 8.3 | 11.4 | 33.9 | 18.2 | 24.6 | 54.3 | 27.6 | 23.8 | |
Sweden | 8.4 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 16.7 | 18.9 | 19.4 | 33.5 | 13.0 | 12.4 | |
Switzerland | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 5.6 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 34.8 | 40.8 | 34.3 | |
Turkey | 7.1 | 10.5 | 11.2 | 14.2 | 20.0 | 20.5 | 40.3 | 30.3 | 26.9 | |
United Kingdom | 6.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 12.3 | 14.4 | 14.1 | 32.7 | 24.5 | 25.5 | |
United States | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 10.6 | |
OECD-Total | 6.9 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 33.1 | 29.1 | 25.9 | |
| Last updated: 2 October 2009 | ||||||||||
| Note: Next update: June 2010. OECD weighted average. | ||||||||||
| Source: OECD Employment Outlook. For further details, see: sources, definitions and related studies. | ||||||||||