Definition

The definitions of employment and unemployment are those given in the "Labour" section of this publication. The indicator used here to compare the labour market consequences of the current crisis with the previous ones, is an index measuring the relative increase in the unemployment rate since the third quarter of 2007 through the end of 2011, with quarters elapsed since the first observation shown on the horizontal axis. Unemployment rates and projections are from OECD Employment Outlook 2009.

Data on the cumulative changes in employment since the first quarter of 2008 up to the second quarter of 2009, and the corresponding change in GDP, refer to seasonally adjusted data as available in the OECD Main Economic Indicators.

For more statistics on economic, environmental and social issues visit online the OECD Factbook 2010.