In 1990, the unemployment rate of the United States stood at 5.6 percent. Since then there have been many significant fluctuations to this number - the 2008 financial crisis left millions of people without work, as did the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2022 and throughout 2023, the unemployment rate came to 3.6 percent, the lowest rate seen for decades. However, 2024 saw an increase up to four percent. For monthly updates on unemployment in the United States visit either the monthly national unemployment rate here, or the monthly state unemployment rate here. Both are seasonally adjusted. UnemploymentUnemployment is defined as a situation when an employed person is laid off, fired or quits his work and is still actively looking for a job. Unemployment can be found even in the healthiest economies, and many economists consider an unemployment rate at or below five percent to mean there is 'full employment' within an economy. If former employed persons go back to school or leave the job to take care of children they are no longer part of the active labor force and therefore not counted among the unemployed. Unemployment can also be the effect of events that are not part of the normal dynamics of an economy. Layoffs can be the result of technological progress, for example when robots replace workers in automobile production. Sometimes unemployment is caused by job outsourcing, due to the fact that employers often search for cheap labor around the globe and not only domestically. In 2022, the tech sector in the U.S. experienced significant lay-offs amid growing economic uncertainty. In the fourth quarter of 2022, more than 70,000 workers were laid off, despite low unemployment nationwide. The unemployment rate in the United States varies from state to state. In 2021, California had the highest number of unemployed persons with 1.38 million out of work.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over (LNS14000024) from Jan 1948 to Feb 2025 about 20 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

In 2023, it was estimated that over 161 million Americans were in some form of employment, while 3.64 percent of the total workforce was unemployed. This was the lowest unemployment rate since the 1950s, although these figures are expected to rise in 2023 and beyond. 1980s-2010s Since the 1980s, the total United States labor force has generally risen as the population has grown, however, the annual average unemployment rate has fluctuated significantly, usually increasing in times of crisis, before falling more slowly during periods of recovery and economic stability. For example, unemployment peaked at 9.7 percent during the early 1980s recession, which was largely caused by the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution on global oil prices and inflation. Other notable spikes came during the early 1990s; again, largely due to inflation caused by another oil shock, and during the early 2000s recession. The Great Recession then saw the U.S. unemployment rate soar to 9.6 percent, following the collapse of the U.S. housing market and its impact on the banking sector, and it was not until 2016 that unemployment returned to pre-recession levels. 2020s 2019 had marked a decade-long low in unemployment, before the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the sharpest year-on-year increase in unemployment since the Great Depression, and the total number of workers fell by almost 10 million people. Despite the continuation of the pandemic in the years that followed, alongside the associated supply-chain issues and onset of the inflation crisis, unemployment reached just 3.67 percent in 2022 - current projections are for this figure to rise in 2023 and the years that follow, although these forecasts are subject to change if recent years are anything to go by.

Unemployment rate, participation rate, and employment rate by educational attainment, gender and age group, annual.

Graph and download economic data for Average Weekly Overtime Hours of All Employees, Nondurable Goods (CES3200000004) from Mar 2006 to Feb 2025 about nondurable goods, establishment survey, hours, goods, employment, and USA.

United States Agg Weekly Hours: Overtime: PW: Mfg data was reported at 4.800 Hour in Nov 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.700 Hour for Oct 2018. United States Agg Weekly Hours: Overtime: PW: Mfg data is updated monthly, averaging 3.700 Hour from Jan 1956 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 755 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.700 Hour in Dec 1997 and a record low of 1.600 Hour in Apr 1958. United States Agg Weekly Hours: Overtime: PW: Mfg data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G039: Current Employment Statistics Survey: Average Weekly Hours: Production Workers.

The unemployment rate of the United Kingdom was 4.4 percent in January 2025, unchanged from the previous month. Before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK had relatively low levels of unemployment, comparable with the mid-1970s. Between January 2000 and the most recent month, unemployment was highest in November 2011 when the unemployment rate hit 8.5 percent. Will unemployment continue to rise in 2025? Although low by historic standards, there has been a noticeable uptick in the UK's unemployment rate, with other labor market indicators also pointing to further loosening. In December 2024, the number of job vacancies in the UK, fell to its lowest level since May 2021, while payrolled employment declined by 47,000 compared with November. Whether this is a continuation of a broader cooling of the labor market since 2022, or a reaction to more recent economic developments, such as upcoming tax rises for employers, remains to be seen. Forecasts made in late 2024 suggest that the unemployment rate will remain relatively stable in 2025, averaging out at 4.1 percent, and falling again to four percent in 2026.
Demographics of the unemployed As of the third quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate for men was slightly higher than that of women, at 4.4 percent, compared to 4.1 percent. During the financial crisis at the end of the 2000s, the unemployment rate for women peaked at a quarterly rate of 7.7 percent, whereas for men, the rate was 9.1 percent. Unemployment is also heavily associated with age, and young people in general are far more vulnerable to unemployment than older age groups. In late 2011, for example, the unemployment rate for those aged between 16 and 24 reached 22.3 percent, compared with 8.2 percent for people aged 25 to 34, while older age groups had even lower peaks during this time.

Graph and download economic data for Average Weekly Overtime Hours of All Employees, Manufacturing (CES3000000004) from Mar 2006 to Feb 2025 about establishment survey, hours, manufacturing, employment, and USA.

The statistic shows the unemployment rate in Japan from 1999 to 2023. In 2023, the unemployment rate in Japan was at about 2.6 percent. Employment and the economy in Japan Japan is one of the leading countries when it comes to economic key factors; its unemployment rate, for example, is lower than that of other major industrial and emerging countries. The Japanese work ethic is well-known worldwide, it is synonymous with a strong devotion to the company and to the task at hand; competition among co-workers and loyalty to the company are common and encouraged, working hours and over-time work are said to be excessive. The Japanese language even has its own term for sudden death from being overworked – “Karoshi”. After the devastating effects of World War II, Japan managed to recover economically and even earn a prominent role among other leading economic powers – a fact which is probably partly due to this attitude towards work and employment. Today, Japan is among the leading import countries worldwide, as well as the leading export countries worldwide. Additionally, Japan is one of the 20 countries with the largest proportion of the global domestic product, and also among the 20 countries with the largest gross domestic product per capita, even though it is also ranked tenth among the leading countries with the largest population.

The Labour Force Survey provides estimates of employment and unemployment which are among the timeliest and important measures of performance of the Canadian economy. The LFS estimates are the first of the major monthly economic data series to be released. The Canadian Labour Force Survey was developed following the Second World War to satisfy a need for reliable and timely data on the labour market. Information was urgently required on the massive labour market changes involved in the transition from a war to a peace-time economy. The main objective of the LFS is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive classifications - employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force - and to provide descriptive and explanatory data on each of these. LFS data are used to produce the well-known unemployment rate as well as other standard labour market indicators such as the employment rate and the participation rate. The LFS also provides employment estimates by industry, occupation, public and private sector, hours worked and much more, all cross-classifiable by a variety of demographic characteristics. Estimates are produced for Canada, the provinces, the territories and a large number of sub-provincial regions. For employees, wage rates, union status, job permanency and workplace size are also produced. These data are used by different levels of government for evaluation and planning of employment programs in Canada. Regional unemployment rates are used by Employment and Social Development Canada to determine eligibility, level and duration of insurance benefits for persons living within a particular employment insurance region. The data are also used by labour market analysts, economists, consultants, planners, forecasters and academics in both the private and public sector.This public use microdata file contains non-aggregated data for a wide variety of variables collected from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). It contains both personal characteristics for all individuals in the household and detailed labour force characteristics for household members 15 years of age and over. The personal characteristics include age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, and family characteristics. Detailed labour force characteristics include employment information such as class of worker, usual and actual hours of work, employee hourly and weekly wages, industry and occupation of current or most recent job, public and private sector, union status, paid or unpaid overtime hours, job permanency, hours of work lost, job tenure, and unemployment information such as duration of unemployment, methods of job search and type of job sought. Labour force characteristics are also available for students during the school year and during the summer months as well as school attendance whether full or part-time and the type of institution.LFS revisions: Labour force surveys are revised on a periodic basis. The most recent revisions took place in 2025. As of January 2025, LFS microdata and estimates have been adjusted to reflect population counts from the 2021 Census, with revisions going back to 2011. Additionally, several changes were made to key variables on the PUMFs: Survey weights (FINALWT) have been updated to use 2021 Census population control totals. Sub-provincial geography (CMA) has been updated to the 2021 Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) boundaries. All industry data (NAICS_21) was revised to use the latest standard, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022. Coding enhancements were applied to improve longitudinal consistency of detailed National Occupational Classification data (NOC_10 and NOC_43). Data were revised to use the gender of person instead of sex (GENDER).

United States Ave Hourly Earnings: PW: excl Overtime: Manufacturing data was reported at 20.540 USD in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 20.510 USD for Sep 2018. United States Ave Hourly Earnings: PW: excl Overtime: Manufacturing data is updated monthly, averaging 9.325 USD from Jan 1956 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 754 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20.540 USD in Oct 2018 and a record low of 1.730 USD in Feb 1956. United States Ave Hourly Earnings: PW: excl Overtime: Manufacturing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G034: Current Employment Statistics Survey: Average Weekly and Hourly Earnings: Production Workers.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household survey carried out monthly by Statistics Canada. Since its inception in 1945, the objectives of the LFS have been to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive classifications - employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force - and to provide descriptive and explanatory data on each of these categories. Data from the survey provide information on major labour market trends such as shifts in employment across industrial sectors, hours worked, labour force participation and unemployment rates, employment including the self-employed, full and part-time employment, and unemployment. It publishes monthly standard labour market indicators such as the unemployment rate, the employment rate and the participation rate. The LFS is a major source of information on the personal characteristics of the working-age population, including age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, and family characteristics. Employment estimates include detailed breakdowns by demographic characteristics, industry and occupation, job tenure, and usual and actual hours worked. This dataset is designed to provide the user with historical information from the Labour Force Survey. The tables included are monthly and annual, with some dating back to 1976. Most tables are available by province as well as nationally. Demographic, industry, occupation and other indicators are presented in tables derived from the LFS data. The information generated by the survey has expanded considerably over the years with a major redesign of the survey content in 1976 and again in 1997, and provides a rich and detailed picture of the Canadian labour market. Some changes to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) were introduced which affect data back to 1987. There are three reasons for this revision: The revision enables the use of improved population benchmarks in the LFS estimation process. These improved benchmarks provide better information on the number of non-permanent residents. There are changes to the data for the public and private sectors from 1987 to 1999. In the past, the data on the public and private sectors for this period were based on an old definition of the public sector. The revised data better reflects the current public sector definition, and therefore result in a longer time series for analysis. The geographic coding of several small Census Agglomerations (CA) has been updated historically from 1996 urban centre boundaries to 2001 CA boundaries. This affects data from January 1987 to December 2004. It is important to note that the changes to almost all estimates are very minor, with the exception of the public sector series and some associated industries from 1987 to 1999. Rates of unemployment, employment and participation are essentially unchanged, as are all key labour market trends. The article titled Improvements in 2006 to the LFS (also under the LFS Documentation button) provides an overview of the effect of these changes on the estimates. The seasonally-adjusted tables have been revised back three years (beginning with January 2004) based on the latest seasonal output.

Historical releases of employment and average weekly earnings (including overtime) for all employees by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), last 5 months.

Number of employees working overtime (weekly) and average overtime hours by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), gender and age group, last 5 years.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over (LES1252881600Q) from Q1 1979 to Q4 2024 about full-time, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, real, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Black or African American (LNS14000006) from Jan 1972 to Feb 2025 about African-American, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Number of employees, average hourly and weekly earnings (including overtime), and average weekly hours for the industrial aggregate excluding unclassified businesses, last 5 months.

Percentage of employees working overtime, by sex, age and economic activity

Data on the median paid hours of overtime worked by employees in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020, by gender and age group, shows that with men consistently working more paid hours of overtime than their female colleagues, the largest difference can be found in individuals of 60 years and older, with men working 4.0 hours of paid overtime, whilst women worked 2.8 hours of paid overtime.

France Quarterly Hours Worked: Overtime: Full Time Employees: Construction data was reported at 20.135 Hour in Dec 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 19.754 Hour for Sep 2019. France Quarterly Hours Worked: Overtime: Full Time Employees: Construction data is updated quarterly, averaging 18.032 Hour from Mar 2002 (Median) to Dec 2019, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22.262 Hour in Dec 2011 and a record low of 7.049 Hour in Sep 2002. France Quarterly Hours Worked: Overtime: Full Time Employees: Construction data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G074: Labour Statistics: Hours Worked per Quarter: Overtime: by Business Sector: Old Methodology. [COVID-19-IMPACT]