UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN NINE COUNTRIES, CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE BASIS,
APPROXIMATING U.S. CONCEPTS, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED, 1975-1998
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UNITED AUS- UNITED
PERIOD STATES CANADA TRALIA JAPAN FRANCE GERMANY ITALY SWEDEN KINGDOM
(1) (2)
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1975 8.5 6.9 4.9 1.9 4.2 3.4 3.4 1.6 4.6
1976 7.7 7.2 4.8 2.0 4.6 3.4 3.9 1.6 5.9
1977 7.1 8.1 5.6 2.0 5.2 3.4 4.1 1.8 6.4
1978 6.1 8.4 6.3 2.3 5.4 3.3 4.1 2.2 6.3
1979 5.8 7.5 6.3 2.1 6.1 2.9 4.4 2.1 5.4
1980 7.1 7.5 6.1 2.0 6.5 2.8 4.4 2.0 7.0
1981 7.6 7.6 5.8 2.2 7.6 4.0 4.9 2.5 10.5
1982 9.7 11.0 7.2 2.4 8.3 5.6 5.4 3.1 11.3
1983 9.6 11.9 10.0 2.7 8.6 (3)6.9 5.9 3.5 11.8
1984 7.5 11.3 9.0 2.8 10.0 7.1 5.9 3.1 11.7
1985 7.2 10.5 8.3 2.6 10.5 7.2 6.0 2.8 11.2
1986 7.0 9.6 8.1 2.8 10.6 6.6 (3)7.5 2.6 11.2
1987 6.2 8.9 8.1 2.9 10.8 6.3 7.9 (3)2.2 10.3
1988 5.5 7.8 7.2 2.5 10.3 6.3 7.9 1.9 8.6
1989 5.3 7.5 6.2 2.3 9.6 5.7 7.8 1.6 7.2
1990 (3)5.6 8.1 6.9 2.1 9.1 5.0 7.0 1.8 6.9
1991 6.8 10.4 9.6 2.1 9.6 4.3P (3)6.9 3.1 8.8
1992 7.5 11.3 10.8 2.2 (3)10.4 4.6P 7.3P 5.6 10.1
1993 6.9 11.2 10.9 2.5 11.8 5.7P (3)10.2P 9.3 10.5
1994 (3)6.1 10.4 9.7 2.9 12.3 6.5P 11.3P 9.6 9.7
1995 5.6 9.5 8.5 3.2 11.8 6.5P 12.0P 9.1 8.7
1996 5.4 9.7 8.6 3.4 12.5 7.2P 12.1P 9.9 8.2P
1997 4.9 9.2 8.6 3.4 12.4P 7.8P 12.3P 9.8P 7.0P
I 5.3 9.6 8.7 3.3 12.4 7.7 12.3 10.6 7.4
II 4.9 9.4 8.7 3.4 12.5 7.7 12.4 10.4 7.2
III 4.9 9.0 8.6 3.4 12.5 7.8 12.2 9.5 6.9
IV 4.7 8.9 8.3 3.5 12.3 7.8 12.3 8.8 6.6
1998
I 4.7 8.6 8.1 3.7 12.0 7.7 12.1 8.4 6.4
II 4.4 8.4 8.1 4.2 11.8 7.5 12.4 8.2 6.2
JUNE 4.5 8.4 8.2 4.3 11.7 7.5 8.0 6.2
JULY 4.5 8.4 8.3 4.2 11.7 7.4 8.7
AUGUST 4.5 8.3 8.1 7.4 8.1
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R = REVISED. P = PRELIMINARY.
(1) FORMER WEST GERMANY.
(2) QUARTERLY RATES ARE FOR THE FIRST MONTH OF THE QUARTER.
(3) BREAK IN SERIES. SEE NOTES ON THE BACK OF THIS PAGE.
NOTE: QUARTERLY AND MONTHLY FIGURES FOR FRANCE AND GERMANY ARE
CALCULATED BY APPLYING ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT FACTORS
TO CURRENT PUBLISHED DATA AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE
VIEWED AS LESS PRECISE INDICATORS OF UNEMPLOYMENT
UNDER U.S. CONCEPTS THAN THE ANNUAL FIGURES.
FOR FURTHER QUALIFICATIONS AND HISTORICAL DATA,
SEE "COMPARATIVE LABOR FORCE STATISTICS, 10 COUNTRIES,
1959-1997", MARCH 1998.
SOURCE: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, OCTOBER 1998.
Breaks in Series
There are breaks in the data series for the United States (1990, 1994),
France (1992), Germany (1983), Italy (1986, 1991, 1993),
and Sweden (1987).
The United States: Beginning in 1990, data incorporate 1990 census-based
population controls, adjusted for the estimated undercount. This change
raised the overall unemployment rate by 0.1 percentage point.
Beginning in 1994, data are not strictly comparable with data for prior
years because of the introduction of a major redesign of the labor force
survey questionnaire and collection methodology. Bureau research
suggests that the effect of the redesign was to raise the overall
unemployment rate by about 0.1 percentage point.
France: The 1992 break reflects the substitution of standardized
European Union Statistical Office (EUROSTAT) unemployment statistics for
the unemployment data estimated according to the International Labor
Office (ILO) definition and published in the Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) annual yearbook and quarterly update.
This change was made because the EUROSTAT data are more up-to-date than
the OECD’s figures. Also, since 1992, the EUROSTAT definitions are closer
to U.S. definitions than they were in prior years. The impact of this
revision was to lower the unemployment rate by 0.1 percentage point
in 1992 and 1993, by 0.4 percentage point in 1994 and by 0.5 percentage
point in 1995.
Germany: The break reflects the replacement of labor force survey
results tabulated by the national statistical office with those tabulated
by EUROSTAT. The impact of the change was to lower Germany's 1983
adjusted unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage point, from 7.2 to 6.9
percent.
Italy: The 1986 break reflects a change in the survey questionnaire
resulting in a significant increase in the number of people reported as
seeking work in the past 30 days. The impact was to increase Italy's
1986 unemployment rate approximating U.S. concepts by 1.2 percentage
points, from 6.3 to 7.5 percent.
In 1991, the method of weighting sample data was revised. The impact
was to raise Italy's 1991 adjusted unemployment rate by approximately
0.3 percentage point, from 6.6 to 6.9 percent.
From 1993 onward, the survey methodology was revised and the definition
of unemployment was changed to include only those who were actively
looking for a job within the 30 days preceding the survey and who were
available for work. In addition, the lower age limit for the labor force
was raised from 14 to 15 years. (Prior to these changes, BLS adjusted
Italy's published unemployment rate downward by excluding from the
unemployed persons who had not actively sought work in the past
30 days.) Data for 1993 onward have been revised to incorporate the
results of the 1991 Population Census. The impact of these changes
has been to raise Italy's adjusted unemployment rate by approximately
1 percentage point.
Sweden: There have been two breaks in series in the Swedish labor force
survey, in 1987 and in 1993. Adjustments have been made for the 1993
break back to 1987. In 1987, a new questionnaire was introduced.
Questions regarding current availability were added and the period of
active workseeking was reduced from 60 days to 4 weeks. These changes
lowered Sweden's 1987 unemployment rate by 0.4 percentage point, from
2.3 to 1.9 percent. In 1993, the measurement period for the labor force
survey was changed to represent all 52 weeks of the year rather than one
week each month and a new adjustment for population totals was introduced.
The impact was to raise the unemployment rate approximately 0.5
percentage point, from 7.6 to 8.1 percent. Statistics Sweden revised its
labor force survey data for 1987-1992 to take into account the break in
1993. The adjustment raised the Swedish unemployment rate by 0.2
percentage point in 1987 and gradually rose to 0.5 percentage point
in 1992.
Beginning with 1987, BLS has adjusted the Swedish data to classify
students who also sought work as unemployed. The impact of this change
was to increase the adjusted unemployment rate by 0.1 percentage point
in 1987 and by 1.8 percentage points in 1994, when unemployment was
higher. By 1994, the adjusted unemployment rate rose from 7.8 to 9.6
percent due to the adjustment to include students.
The net effect of the 1987 and 1993 changes and the BLS adjustment for
students seeking work lowered Sweden’s 1987 unemployment rate from
2.3 to 2.2 percent.
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