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Unemployment Rates in Nine Countries, Civilian Labor Force Basis Approximating U.S. Concepts, Seasonally Adjusted, 1990-2004

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Federal Publications Key Workplace Documents 
6-23-2004 
Unemployment Rates in Nine Countries, Civilian Labor Force Basis 
Approximating U.S. Concepts, Seasonally Adjusted, 1990-2004 
Bureau of Labor Statistics 
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Unemployment Rates in Nine Countries, Civilian Labor Force Basis Approximating 
U.S. Concepts, Seasonally Adjusted, 1990-2004 
Keywords 
Federal, key workplace documents, Catherwood, ILR, unemployment, rates, civilian, labor force, basis, 
United States, concepts, Canada, Australia, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom 
Comments 
Special Reports and Statistics Comparative Statistics 
This article is available at DigitalCommons@ILR: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/68 
                               Unemployment rates in nine countries, civilian labor force basis,
                                  approximating U.S. concepts, seasonally adjusted, 1990-2004
     -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         United                    Aus-                                                                                       United
      Period        States     Canada     tralia      Japan     France     Germany     Italy     Sweden     Kingdom
                                                                             (1)        (2)
     -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      1990            5.6        7.7             6.7         2.1         9.1               5.0            7.0          1.8           6.8
      1991            6.8        9.8             9.3         2.1         9.5           (3)5.6        (3)6.9        3.1           8.4
      1992            7.5       10.6           10.5        2.2     (3)9.9              6.7             7.3        5.6       (3)9.7
      1993            6.9       10.8           10.6        2.5       11.3               8.0       (3)10.2        9.4       10.4
      1994         (3)6.1        9.5            9.4        2.9       11.8               8.5            11.2        9.6        9.6
      1995            5.6         8.6             8.2        3.2       11.3               8.2            11.8        9.1        8.7
      1996            5.4        8.8              8.2        3.4       11.9               9.0            11.7        9.9        8.1
      1997         (3)4.9        8.4            8.3        3.4       11.8               9.9            11.9       10.1        7.0
      1998         (3)4.5        7.7            7.7        4.1       11.3               9.3            12.0        8.4        6.3
      1999         (3)4.2        7.0            6.9        4.7       10.6           (3)8.5           11.5        7.1        6.0
      2000         (3)4.0        6.1            6.3        4.8        9.1                7.8            10.7        5.8        5.5
      2001            4.7          6.4        (3)6.8       5.1        8.4                7.9             9.6        5.0        5.1
      2002            5.8          7.0            6.4        5.4        8.7                8.6             9.1        5.1        5.2
       I                 5.7           7.1           6.7        5.4         8.5                8.3             9.2        5.1        5.1
       II                5.8           6.9           6.4        5.4        8.6                8.5              9.2        5.0        5.2
       III               5.7          7.0            6.3        5.5        8.7                8.7              9.1        5.1        5.2
       IV               5.9          6.9            6.2        5.4        8.9                8.9              9.0        5.3        5.1
      2003         (3)6.0        6.9            6.1        5.3        9.3                 9.3              8.8        5.8        5.0
       I                   5.8        6.7            6.2        5.4        9.0                 9.2               9.0         5.2        5.1
       II                 6.1         6.9            6.2        5.4        9.2                 9.4               8.8        5.5R       5.0
       III                6.1        7.2            6.1        5.2        9.4                  9.4              8.7        5.8        5.0
       IV                5.9        6.8            5.8        5.1        9.4                  9.3              8.6        6.3        4.9
      2004
       I              (3)5.6        6.7             5.7        5.0        9.4                 9.7              8.6        6.6        4.8
       II             5.6             6.6            5.6        4.7        9.4                 9.9                           6.8
        Feb           5.6          6.6             5.9        5.1        9.4                 9.7                           6.6        4.8
        Mar           5.7          6.8            5.6        4.8        9.4                 9.8                            6.7        4.8
        Apr           5.6         6.7             5.6        4.8        9.3                 9.9                            6.8        4.8
        May           5.6        6.5             5.5        4.6        9.4                 9.9                           6.8R       4.9
         Jun           5.6        6.6               5.6        4.7        9.4                9.9                          6.8R  
        Jul           5.5        6.5                5 .7        5.0        9.4               9.9                          6.8 
     -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      R = Revised.    
      Note: 2003 annual rates are preliminary for Japan.
      (1)  Germany (unified) for 1991 onward.  Prior to 1991, data relate to the 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.
      SOURCE:  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 3, 2004.
Note on quarterly and monthly data:  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 Civilian Labor Force 
Statistics, 10 Countries, 1959-2003," June 23, 2004.
Note on adjustments:  The foreign country data are adjusted as closely as possible to U.S. concepts, with 
the exception of 
age limits and the treatment of layoffs, for which no adjustments are made.  In addition, for some 
countries, no adjustment 
is made for deviations from U.S. concepts in the treatment of unpaid family workers, persons waiting to 
start a new job, and 
passive job seekers (for example, persons only reading newspaper ads as their method of job search).  In 
the United States, 
job search must be "active," such as placing or answering advertisements, and simply reading ads is not 
enough to qualify as 
active search.  Except for the inclusion of passive job seekers in Canada (for which an adjustment is 
made), these 
"unadjusted" differences are believed to have a negligible effect on the comparisons.  For further 
information on 
comparability issues, see Constance Sorrentino, "International unemployment rates: how comparable are 
they?" Monthly Labor 
Review, June 2000, pp. 3-20.
Breaks in Series:  There are breaks in the data series for the United States, Australia, France, Germany, 
Italy, and the 
United Kingdom.
The United States:  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.  The redesign 
effect has been 
estimated to increase the overall unemployment rate by about 0.1 percentage point.  Other breaks noted 
relate to changes in 
population controls that had virtually no effect on unemployment rates.
Australia:  The 2001 break reflects the introduction of a new questionnaire and a minor change in the 
definition of 
unemployed persons.  The impact of the change was an increase in the adjusted unemployment rate by 
0.1 percentage point 
beginning with April 2001.  BLS incorporates the April 2001 revisions for that month onward.
France: The 1992 break reflects the replacement of unemployment statistics tabulated by the 
Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development (OECD) with those tabulated by the European Union Statistical Office 
(EUROSTAT).  Since 1992, the 
EUROSTAT definitions are closer to U.S. definitions than they were in prior years.  In 1992, the 
unemployment rate decreased 
by 0.1 percentage point. 
Germany:  The 1991 break reflects the introduction of comparative labor force measures for Germany 
(unified).  The impact of 
including the former East Germany was to increase the 1991 unemployment rate from 4.3 to 5.6 
percent.  The 1999 break 
reflects the incorporation of an improved method of data calculation and a change in coverage to persons 
living in private 
households only.  In 1999, the unemployment rate decreased from 8.6 to 8.5 percent. 
Italy:  In 1991, the method of weighting sample data was revised.  The impact was an increase in the 
adjusted unemployment 
rate by approximately 0.3 percentage point, from 6.6 to 6.9 percent in 1991.  In October 1992, Italy 
revised survey 
methodology and changed the definition of unemployment to include only those who were actively 
looking for a job within the 
30 days preceding the reference period and who were available for work.  Prior to the revision, BLS 
adjusted Italy’s 
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published unemployment rate downward by using a proxy to exclude from the unemployed persons who 
had not actively sought work 
in the past 30 days; however, this resulted in an overadjustment downward.  In addition, the lower age 
limit of the labor 
force was changed from 14 to 15 years.  The impact of these changes was an increase in the adjusted 
unemployment rate by 1 
percentage point.  BLS incorporates the October 1992 revisions for 1993 onward.  
United Kingdom:  The 1992 break reflects changes in design, method, sampling frame, and definitions, 
when the labor force 
survey became continuous.  
Acknowledgment:  Data used to calculate these unemployment rates come mainly from national 
statistical sources but also from 
the OECD and EUROSTAT.
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Unemployment Rates in Nine Countries, Civilian Labor Force Basis Approximating U.S. Concepts, Seasonally Adjusted, 1990-2004

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