The unemployment rate for the OECD area fell slightly to 8.7% in January 2010, reflecting drops of 0.3 percentage point in the United States and Japan. However, the latest figures for the United States show that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.7% in February. Rates in the Euro area stabilized in January at 9.9% and in many countries, notably France and Italy, rates continued their recent upward trend.



In Canada, the unemployment rate was 8.3% in January 2010, 0.1 percentage point lower than in the previous month. The unemployment rate rose sharply in Korea, from 3.6% in December last year to 4.8% in January, as a result of a large rise in the labour force which, however, is likely to be temporary. In November 2009, the latest data available, the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom was 7.8%, the same as in the previous month.

In all OECD countries rates remained at higher levels than a year ago, varying from 0.3 percentage point higher in Australia to 4.4 percentage points in Ireland, with the OECD rate 1.4 percentage points higher.