UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN NINE COUNTRIES, CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE BASIS,
APPROXIMATING U.S. CONCEPTS, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED, 1975-1997

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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    s    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       12.6        7.2P      12.1P       9.9        8.2P  
 
1997
I              5.3        9.6        8.7        3.3       12.6R       7.7       12.3       10.6        7.5
II             4.9        9.4        8.7        3.5       12.7        7.7R      12.7       10.6        7.3
III            4.9        9.0        8.6        3.4       12.7        7.8       11.9        9.5        6.9       

SEPTEMBER      4.9        9.0        8.6        3.5       12.7        7.8                   8.8        6.8
OCTOBER        4.7        9.1        8.4        3.5       12.7        7.9       12.2        8.9        6.8 
NOVEMBER       4.6        9.0        8.4        3.5       12.6        7.8                   8.6        6.8             
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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, 1959-1996", SEPTEMBER 1997.

SOURCE:  BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, JANUARY 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.