Indicators on unemployment
Source: Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat
Year Percentage unemployed
Both Male Female
sexes
Albania 1991 a 9.1 ... ...
Algeria 1992 b 23.8 24.2 20.3
Argentina 1995 c 18.8 16.5 22.3
Australia 1995 8.5 8.8 8.0
Austria 1994 3.6 3.3 4.0
Bahamas 1994 d 13.3 12.6 14.0
Barbados 1995 19.7 16.5 22.9
Belarus 1995 b e 2.7 2.2 3.3
Belgium 1995 f 9.3 7.3 12.2
Belize 1994 g 11.1 9.0 15.1
Bolivia 1995 h 3.6 3.3 4.0
Brazil 1993 i 6.2 5.4 7.4
Bulgaria 1995 b e 11.1 ... ...
Canada 1995 9.5 9.8 9.2
Chile 1995 j 4.7 4.4 5.3
China 1994 a k 2.8 0.8 l 1.1 l
Costa Rica 1995 m 5.2 4.6 6.5
Croatia 1993 e 16.8 14.0 20.1
Cyprus 1995 e n 2.6 1.9 3.7
Czech Republic 1995 o 3.4 3.0 4.0
Denmark 1995 p 7.0 5.6 8.6
Ecuador 1994 q 7.1 5.8 9.3
Egypt 1994 r 11.0 7.4 22.8
El Salvador 1995 s 7.7 8.7 5.9
Estonia 1994 t 8.9 9.0 8.8
Fiji 1995 a 5.4 ... ...
Finland 1995 u 17.4 17.3 16.7
France 1995 a 11.6 9.8 13.9
French Guiana 1991 v w 9.7 8.2 11.6
Germany 1995 d 12.9 9.8 11.1
Greece 1995 x 10.0 6.7 15.4
Guadeloupe 1991 e y 19.9 ... ...
Guam 1993 y 5.5 ... ...
Honduras 1995 z 3.2 3.1 3.4
Hong Kong fff 1995 3.2 3.4 2.9
Hungary 1995 t 10.3 11.6 8.7
Iceland 1995 aa 4.9 4.8 4.9
Ireland 1995 bb 12.2 7.6 4.6
Israel 1995 6.9 5.6 8.6
Italy 1994 n 11.1 8.5 15.8
Jamaica 1992 n 15.9 9.7 22.9
Japan 1995 3.2 3.1 3.2
Kazakstan 1993 e 1.0 ... ...
Korea, Republic of 1995 s 2.0 2.3 1.7
Latvia 1995 b e 6.6 6.0 7.2
Lithuania 1995 e cc 7.3 6.6 8.0
Luxembourg 1994 e dd 2.7 ... ...
Macau 1995 ee 3.6 4.1 3.0
Malaysia 1995 a 2.8 ... ...
Malta 1993 e ff 4.5 5.2 2.5
Mexico 1995 gg 4.7 4.6 5.0
Morocco 1992 hh 16.0 13.0 25.3
Netherlands 1995 ii 7.1 5.9 8.8
Netherlands Antilles 1994 jj 12.8 ... ...
New Zealand 1995 6.3 6.2 6.3
Nicaragua 1991 a s 14.0 11.3 19.4
Norway 1995 kk 4.9 5.2 4.6
Pakistan 1994 ll 4.8 3.9 10.0
Panama 1995 mm 13.7 10.6 19.6
Paraguay 1994 h 4.4 4.9 3.7
Peru 1995 nn 7.1 6.0 8.7
Philippines 1995 oo 8.4 7.7 9.4
Poland 1995 pp 13.1 12.1 14.4
Portugal 1993 n 5.5 4.6 6.5
Puerto Rico 1995 qq 13.7 16.6 10.8
Republic of Moldova 1995 b e 1.0 ... ...
Reunion 1993 e y 34.4 ... ...
Romania 1995 rr 8.0 7.5 8.6
Russian Federation 1995 ss 8.3 8.4 8.1
San Marino 1995 a tt 3.9 1.5 7.0
Singapore 1995 uu 2.7 2.7 2.8
Slovakia 1995 vv 13.1 13.8 12.6
Slovenia 1995 ww 7.4 7.7 7.0
South Africa 1995 e xx 4.5 ... ...
Spain 1995 y 22.9 18.2 30.6
Sri Lanka 1995 yy 12.5 8.8 19.7
Suriname 1994 n 12.7 11.4 15.0
Sweden 1995 dd 7.7 8.5 6.9
Switzerland 1995 zz 3.3 2.8 3.9
Syrian Arab Republic 1991 aaa 6.8 5.2 14.0
Thailand 1993 bbb 1.5 1.2 1.8
The FYR of Macedonia 1995 v 35.6 31.9 41.7
Trinidad and Tobago 1995 17.2 15.1 20.6
Turkey 1995 ccc 6.6 6.6 6.8
United Kingdom 1995 y 8.5 9.9 6.8
United States 1995 y 5.6 5.6 5.6
US Virgin Islands 1995 e ddd 5.7 ... ...
Uruguay 1995 eee 10.2 8.0 13.2
Uzbekistan 1995 v 0.4 0.3 0.5
Venezuela 1995 10.3 9.0 12.8
Source:
Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat, "Statistical Yearbook,
forty-first issue" (United Nations publication, Sales No. E/F.96.XVII.1,
forthcoming), based on data compiled from national statistical services by the
International Labour Office for its Year Book of Labour Statistics (Geneva).
Unless otherwise indicated, data are from labour force sample surveys or general household
sample surveys.
... Not available.
a Official estimates.
b Month of December.
c Gran Buenos Aires.
d Month of April.
e Based on registered unemployment from employment office records.
f Month of April. Persons 14 years and over.
g Persons aged 15 to 69 years.
h Urban areas only. Persons aged 10 years and over.
i Excluding the rural population of Rondonia, Acre, Amazonas, Roraima,
Par and Amap. Month of September. Persons aged 10 years and over.
j Fourth quarter of year.
k Month of December. Urban areas only.
l Young people aged 16 to 25 years.
m Month of July. Persons aged 12 years and over.
n Persons aged 14 years and over.
o Excluding persons on child-care leave.
p Second quarter of year. Persons aged 15 to 66 years.
q Urban areas only. Month of November. Persons aged 10 years and over.
r Months of May and November. Persons aged 12 to 64 years.
s Persons aged 10 years and over.
t Persons aged 15 to 74 years.
u Excluding elderly unemployed pensioners no longer seeking work.
Persons aged 15 to 64 years.
v Based on number of work applicants from employment office records.
w Cayenne and Kourou. Persons aged 16 years and over.
x Second quarter of year. Persons aged 14 years and over.
y Persons aged 16 years and over.
z Urban areas only. Month of May. Persons aged 10 years and over.
aa Months of April and November. Persons aged 16 to 74 years.
bb Months of April-May. Persons aged 15 years and over.
cc On 31st December.
dd Persons aged 16 to 64 years.
ee Months of February, May, August and November. Persons aged 14 years
and over.
ff Month of December. Persons aged 16 to 61 years.
gg Second quarter of year. Persons aged 12 years and over.
hh Urban areas only.
ii Persons aged 15 to 64 years.
jj Curacao only.
kk Persons aged 16 to 74 years.
ll July of preceding year to June of current year. Persons aged
10 years and over.
mm Month of August.
nn Lima only. Month of August. Persons aged 14 years and over.
oo Month of October.
pp Month of November.
qq Excluding persons temporarily laid off. Persons 16 years and over.
rr Month of March. Persons aged 14 years and over.
ss Persons aged 15 to 72 years.
tt 31st December. Persons 14 years and over.
uu Month of June.
vv Excluding persons on child-care leave.
ww Month of May.
xx Excluding Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, Ciskei; elsewhere persons
enumerated at de facto dwelling place.
yy Excluding Northern and Eastern provinces. First quarter of year.
Persons aged 10 years and over.
zz Second quarter of year.
aaa Month of April. Persons aged 10 years and over.
bbb Third round (Aug.) of each year. Persons aged 13 years and over.
ccc Month of October. Persons aged 12 years and over.
ddd Persons aged 16 to 65 years.
eee Urban areas. Persons aged 14 years and over.
fff Pursuant to a Joint Declaration signed on 19 December 1984, the United
Kingdom restored Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China with
effect from 1 July 1997; the People's Republic of China resumed
the exercise of sovereignty over the territory with effect from
that date.
Technical notes:
The International Conference of Labour Statisticians adopted the following
definition of the unemployed as an international recommendation in 1982:
All persons who during the reference period were: (1) "without work", that is,
were not in paid employment or self-employment as specified by the international
definition of employment; (2) "currently available for work", that is, were
available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; or (3)
"seeking work", that is, had taken specific steps in a specified recent period
to seek paid employment or self-employment.
However, many persons without work--women more than men--do
not take active steps to "seek work" if they believe none is available. In rural
areas, employment opportunities may be particularly limited, especially for women and
outside seasonal harvesting periods. Also in rural areas and among women in many
countries, persons not working do not have easy access to formal channels for seeking
employment and women often face social and cultural barriers when looking for a job. In
such circumstances the "seeking work" criterion should be relaxed, though this
is not often done in national surveys.
In developing countries, the number of workers covered by
unemployment insurance or other assistance is limited. Under these conditions very few
people can afford to be unemployed for any period of time. The majority of the population
must be engaged at all times in some economic activity, however inadequate it may be. So,
although they may also be seeking other or additional work, they will not be counted as
unemployed. Women, who more often than men are engaged in activities within the household,
grow food in the family plot or work as seasonal agricultural workers, are economically
active and should be counted as "employed" according to the standard definition
of economic activity. But their situation in terms of income, use of skills and
productivity might be closer to unemployment than to employment.
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