In the 37 member states of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), unemployment fell on average to 5.1 percent in March from 5.2 percent a month earlier.
The index is declining or stagnant for the eleventh month. A year ago in March, the rate stood at 6.5 percent, the OECD said. Unemployment in March this year is already below the 5.3 percent measured in February 2020, the last month before the start of the coronavirus epidemic.
Compared to February, the number of unemployed in the OECD countries decreased by 579 thousand to 34 million 605 thousand in March, which is 900 thousand less than the level of February 2020.
Unemployment among women decreased to 5.3 percent in March from 5.4 percent in February, and for men, the indicator improved from 5.1 percent to 5 percent. In the case of young people (aged 15-24), the indicator decreased from 11.1 percent to 10.9 percent, and among those over 25 from 4.5 percent to 4.4 percent.
In March, unemployment in the euro area decreased to 6.8 percent from 6.9 percent a month earlier, in the European Union from 6.3 percent to 6.2 percent, in the United States from 3.8 percent to 3.6 percent, in Japan from 2.7 percent to 2, It decreased to 6 percent and in Canada from 5.5 percent to 5.3 percent. According to non-final data, the unemployment rate stabilized at 3.6 percent in the United States in April this year, while it fell slightly further in Canada to 5.2 percent, which is the lowest level since comparable data were published in 1976.
According to data posted on the OECD website on Wednesday, unemployment in Hungary was 3.2 percent in March, after 3.7 percent in February.
(MTI)
Featured image: MTI/Zsolt Szigetváry
