The employment and unemployment indicator shows several data points. The first figure is the number of people in the labor force, which includes the number of people who are either working or looking for work. The second two figures, the number of people who are employed and the number of people who are unemployed, are the two subcategories of the labor force. The unemployment rate is a calculation of the number of people who are in the labor force and unemployed as a percentage of the total number of people in the labor force.

The unemployment rate does not include people who are not employed and not in the labor force. This includes adults who are neither working nor looking for work. For example, full-time students may choose not to seek any employment during their college career, and are thus not considered in the unemployment rate. Stay-at-home parents and other caregivers are also considered outside of the labor force, and therefore outside the scope of the unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate is a key economic indicator, and is illustrative of economic conditions in the county at the individual scale.

There are additional considerations to the unemployment rate. Because it does not count those who are outside the labor force, it can exclude individuals who were looking for a job previously, but have since given up. The impact of this on the overall unemployment rate is difficult to quantify, but it is important to note because it shows that no statistic is perfect.

The unemployment rates for Champaign County, the City of Champaign, and the City of Urbana are extremely similar between 2000 and 2023.

All three areas saw a dramatic increase in the unemployment rate between 2006 and 2009. The unemployment rates for all three areas decreased overall between 2010 and 2019. However, the unemployment rate in all three areas rose sharply in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate in all three areas dropped again in 2021 as pandemic restrictions were removed, and were almost back to 2019 rates in 2022. However, the unemployment rate in all three areas rose slightly from 2022 to 2023.

This data is sourced from the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Sources: Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2023, South Africa had the highest unemployment rate in the world, at 32.1 percent. Of the 10 countries with the highest unemployment rates, six were in Sub-Saharan Africa. What exactly is unemployment? The unemployment rate is the number of people in the workforce currently looking for jobs but not working. This number does not include students and retirees, as they are not looking for work, nor does it include people who have given up on finding a job (known as discouraged workers). Comparing international unemployment rates can be problematic, however, as different countries use different methodologies when classifying unemployment. For example, Niger records the third lowest unemployment rate in the world, despite often being listed as the least developed country worldwide - this is because the majority of the population engage in subsistence farming, with very little opportunity for paid employment. Causes of unemployment in less developed countries A major driver in unemployment in these countries is conflict. In particular, internally displaced persons (IDPs) want to work, but moving to another part of the country disrupts their business network and moves them into a local economy with different labor demand. Countries with low levels of economic development, as roughly indicated by a low GDP per capita, often have fewer labor market opportunities, leading to high unemployment rates.

The table shows the latest data for the unemployment rate available from the national authorities. Note that these numbers are updated daily. The table also shows the unemployment rate three months ago and one year ago. The unemployment rate is defined as the number of people who don't have a job and are actively look for one as percent of the labor force. The labor force includes the employed and the unemployed people. Note that these categories do not include the so-called discouraged workers. These are people who can work and want to work but are not actively looking as they believe that they cannot find a job. Hence, besides unemployment, it is also useful to look at employment in order to evaluate the health of the labor market. The unemployment rate includes three components: the structural unemployment that is generated as some sectors of the economy decline and others expand; the frictional unemployment that captures people who are between jobs for personal reasons; and the cyclical unemployment that is related to the business cycle. The more flexible the labor market in terms of hiring and firing and setting wages, the lower the first two components of the unemployment rate. If interested, you can read our brief article on unemployment.

Unemployment numbers and rates for those aged 16 or over. The unemployed population consists of those people out of work, who are actively looking for work and are available to start immediately.

Unemployed numbers and rates also shown for equalities groups, by age, sex, ethnic group, and disability. Economic inactivity rates and numbers for regions.

The data are taken from the Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey, produced by the Office for National Statistics.

The data are produced monthly on a rolling quarterly basis. The month shown is the month the quarter ends on.

International Labour Organization define unemployed people as: without a job, want a job, have actively sought work in the last 4 weeks and are available to start work in the next 2 weeks, or, out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start it in the next 2 weeks.

The figures in this dataset are adjusted to compensate for seasonal variations in employment (Seasonally adjusted).

Data by equalities groups has a longer time lag and is only available quarterly from the Annual Population Survey, which is not seasonally adjusted.

Click http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-labour/regional-labour-market-statistics/index.html">here for Regional labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics

Click http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/index.html">here for Labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics

In June 2025, the inactive labor force amounted to about 102.24 million people in the United States. Labor force measures are based on the civilian non-institutional population 16 years old and over. Excluded are persons under 16 years of age, all persons confined to institutions such as nursing homes and prisons, and persons on active duty in the Armed Forces. The labor force is made up of the employed and the unemployed. The remainder — those who have no job and are not looking for one — are counted as "not in the labor force." Many who are not in the labor force are going to school or are retired. Family responsibilities keep others out of the labor force.

The infra-annual dataflow on the monthly unemployment rate is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the unemployed population by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated statistical methodological information and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected other economies.

The unemployment rate is calculated as the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force (i.e., the unemployed plus those in employment). The unemployed are persons in their working age who, in the reference period, do not have a job; are available for work; and, have taken specific steps to find a job.

The infra-annual labour statistics compiled for all OECD member countries, are drawn from Labour Force Surveys based on definition provided by the 19th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013. The uniform application of these definitions across all OECD member countries results in estimates that are internationally comparable.

Unemployment numbers and rates for those aged 16 or over. The unemployed population consists of those people out of work, who are actively looking for work and are available to start immediately. Unemployed numbers and rates also shown for equalities groups, by age, sex, ethnic group, and disability. The data are taken from the Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey, produced by the Office for National Statistics. The data are produced monthly on a rolling quarterly basis. The month shown is the month the quarter ends on. The International Labour Organization defines unemployed people as: without a job, want a job, have actively sought work in the last 4 weeks and are available to start work in the next 2 weeks, or, out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start it in the next 2 weeks. The figures in this dataset are adjusted to compensate for seasonal variations in employment (seasonally adjusted). Data by equalities groups has a longer time lag and is only available quarterly from the Annual Population Survey, which is not seasonally adjusted. Useful links Click here for Regional labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics. Click here for Labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics. See here for GLA Economics' Labour Market Analysis. See here for Economic Inactivity statistics. See here for Employment rates. This dataset is one of the Greater London Authority's measures of Economic Fairness. Click here to find out more.

Gallup tracks daily the percentage of U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, who are underemployed, unemployed, and employed full-time for an employer, without seasonal adjustment. "Underemployed" respondents are employed part time, but want to work full time, or they are unemployed. "Unemployed" respondents are those within the underemployed group who are not employed, even for one hour a week, but are available and looking for work. Unemployment and underemployment are calculated as a percent of the workforce. Payroll to Population is a measure of those who are employed by an employer for at least 30 hours per week. Payroll to Population is calculated as a percent of the total population. Weekly results reflect 30-day rolling averages ending each Sunday, based on telephone interviews with approximately 30,000 adults. Because results are not seasonally adjusted, they are not directly comparable to numbers reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which are based on workers 16 and older. Margin of error is ± 0.7 percentage points.

In the United States, approximately 7.46 million people were unemployed and looking for work in June 2025. The data has not been seasonally adjusted. For comparison, a look at the unemployment rate in EU states shows that the EU average is higher than the U.S. average.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Level (UNEMPLOY) from Jan 1948 to Jul 2025 about 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Not in Labor Force - Want a Job Now (NILFWJN) from Jan 1994 to Jun 2025 about jobs, 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

Approximately 14.2 percent of people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed in the United Kingdom in the first quarter of 2025, the highest of any age group in that month. During this time period, older age groups have had much lower unemployment rates than younger ones, who have consistently had the highest unemployment rate. For almost all the age groups, the peak in the unemployment rate was recorded in 2011 when almost a quarter of young working age people were unemployed. Young adults in the labor market In the provided time period, youth unemployment was at its lowest rate in the third quarter of 2022, when it was 10.3 percent. Since then, there has been a noticeable uptick in youth unemployment, which was 14.8 percent towards the end of 2024. A more long-term trend among this age group is the increase in economic inactivity, with 40.8 percent of 16 to 24-year-old's not in work or actively looking for work in 2024. Although students or people in training account for a high share of this economic inactivity, there has also been a rise in the proportion of young adults who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), which reached a ten-year-high of 13.2 percent in late 2024. Unemployment up from low baseline in late 2024 In 2022, the UK labor market, had very low levels of unemployment along with a record number of job vacancies. Throughout 2023 and 2024, this very tight labor market began to loosen, although is still quite low by historic standards. One indicator that has stood out since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, has been the number of people economically inactive due to being on long-term sick leave, which reached 2.82 million in the first quarter of 2024, and has been the main reason for economic inactivity in the UK since late 2021.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by province, gender and age group. Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

The statistic reflects the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in member states of the European Union in November 2024. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Spain in November 2024 was 11.2 percent.The unemployment rate represents the share of the unemployed in all potential employees available to the job market. Unemployment rates in the EU The unemployment rate is an important measure of a country or region’s economic health, and despite unemployment levels in the European Union falling slightly from a peak in early 2013 , they remain high, especially in comparison to what the rates were before the worldwide recession started in 2008. This confirms the continuing stagnation in European markets, which hits young job seekers particularly hard as they struggle to compete against older, more experienced workers for a job, suffering under jobless rates twice as high as general unemployment. Some companies, such as Microsoft and Fujitsu, have created thousands of jobs in some of the countries which have particularly dire unemployment rates, creating a beacon of hope. However, some industries such as information technology, face the conundrum of a deficit of qualified workers in the local unemployed work force, and have to hire workers from abroad instead of helping decrease the local unemployment rates. This skills mismatch has no quick solution, as workers require time for retraining to fill the openings in the growing science-, technology-, or engineering-based jobs, and too few students choose degrees that would help them obtain these positions. Worldwide unemployment also remains high, with the rates being worst in the Middle East and North Africa. Estimates by the International Labour Organization predict that the problem will stabilize in coming years, but not improve until at least 2017.

Unemployment Rate in China remained unchanged at 5 percent in June. This dataset provides - China Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This is the proportion of the population aged 16 to 64 who are economically inactive. Economically inactive are people who are neither in employment nor unemployed. This group includes: all those who were looking after a family/home, sick, retired or students; those 'Wanting A Job' - people not in employment who want a job but are not classed as unemployed because they have either not sought work in the last four weeks or are not available to start work; and those 'Not Wanting A Job' - people who are neither in employment nor unemployed and who do not want a job. While the source is a rolling annual survey updated quarterly, a given 12-month period should be compared to the matching 12-month period in previous years to obtain valid comparisons. The data for district and unitary authorities is generally taken not directly from the Annual Population Survey but from associated modelled estimates produced by the Office for National Statistics, which provide greater accuracy.Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

The unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 in the United States in 202024 23 was 10 percent. However, this rate was much lower for people aged 45 and over, at 2.9 percent. U.S. unemployment The unemployment rate in the United States varies based on several factors, such as race, gender, and level of education. Black and African-American individuals had the highest unemployment rate in 2021 out of any ethnicity, and people who had less than a high school diploma had the highest unemployment rate by education level. Alaska is consistently the state with the highest unemployment rate, although the El Centro, California metropolitan area was the area with the highest unemployment rate in the country in 2019. Additionally, in August 2022, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had the highest unemployment rate in the United States Unemployment rate The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is the agency that researches and calculates the unemployment rate in the United States. Unemployment rises during recessions, which causes the cost of social welfare programs to increase. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says unemployed people are those who are jobless, have looked for employment within the last four weeks, and are free to work.

This is the proportion of the population aged 16 to 64 who are economically inactive. Economically inactive are people who are neither in employment nor unemployed. This group includes: all those who were looking after a family/home, sick, retired or students; those 'Wanting A Job' - people not in employment who want a job but are not classed as unemployed because they have either not sought work in the last four weeks or are not available to start work; and those 'Not Wanting A Job' - people who are neither in employment nor unemployed and who do not want a job. While the source is a rolling annual survey updated quarterly, a given 12-month period should be compared to the matching 12-month period in previous years to obtain valid comparisons. The data for district and unitary authorities is generally taken not directly from the Annual Population Survey but from associated modelled estimates produced by the Office for National Statistics, which provide greater accuracy.Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

Unemployment Rate in South Africa increased to 32.90 percent in the first quarter of 2025 from 31.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - South Africa Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Abstract

Statistical information on all aspects of the population is vital for the design, implementation and evaluation of economic and social development plan and policy issues. Labour force survey is one of the most important sources of data for assessing the role of the population of the country in the economic and social development process. It is useful to indicate the extent of available and unutilized human resources that must be absorbed by the national economy to ensure full employment and economic well being of the population. It is also an input for assessing the meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the country's poverty reduction strategy framework for PASDEP (Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty). Statistics on the labour force further deals with the measurement and the relationship between employment, income and other social and economic characteristics of the economically active and non active population. Seasonal and other variations as well as changes over time in the size and characteristics of the employment and unemployment can be monitored using up-to-date information from labour force surveys.

Thus, data on economic activity together with other labour force data would be of a springboard for a clear formulation, monitoring and evaluation of employment policies, programs and strategies on human resource development and various socio-economic plans at different levels in the country. This survey results provide data on the main characteristics of the work force engaged or available to be engaged in the production of economic goods and services and its distribution in the various sectors of the economy during a given reference period. Statistical information on all aspects of the population is vital for the design, implementation and evaluation of economic and social development plan and policy issues. Labour force survey is one of the most important sources of data for assessing the role of the population of the country in the economic and social development process. It is useful to indicate the extent of available and unutilized human resources that must be absorbed by the national economy to ensure full employment and economic well being of the population. It is also an input for assessing the meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the country's poverty reduction strategy framework for PASDEP (Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty). Statistics on the labour force further deals with the measurement and the relationship between employment, income and other social and economic characteristics of the economically active and non active population. Seasonal and other variations as well as changes over time in the size and characteristics of the employment and unemployment can be monitored using up-to-date information from labour force surveys.

Thus, data on economic activity together with other labour force data would be of a springboard for a clear formulation, monitoring and evaluation of employment policies, programs and strategies on human resource development and various socio-economic plans at different levels in the country. This survey results provide data on the main characteristics of the work force engaged or available to be engaged in the production of economic goods and services and its distribution in the various sectors of the economy during a given reference period.

Objectives of the Survey: The 2009 Urban Employment and Unemployment Survey program was designed to provide statistical data on the characteristics and size of the economic activity status i.e. employed, unemployed and the non-active population of the country at urban levels on annual basis. The data obtained from this survey will be useful for policy makers, planners, researchers, and other institutions and individuals engaged in the design, implementation and monitoring of human resource development projects and to assess and understand the performance of the economy.

The specific objectives of the 2009 Urban Employment and Unemployment Survey are: - collect statistical data on the potential manpower and those who are available to take part in various socio-economic activities; - up date the data and determine the size and distribution of the labour force participation and the status of economic activity for different sub-groups of the population; and also to study the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of these groups; - identify those who are actually contributing to the economic development (working population) and those out of the sphere the economy; - identify the size, distribution and characteristics of employed population i.e. working in the formal or informal employment sector of the economy and earnings for paid employees, type of occupation and Industry...etc; - provide data that can be used to assess the situation of women's employment or the participation of women in the labour force; - provide data on the size, characteristics and distribution of unemployed population and rate of unemployment; - identify the size and characteristics of children aged 5-17 years that were engaged in economic activities; - provide the generated time series data to trace changes over time

Geographic coverage

The 2009 Urban Employment and Unemployment Survey (UEUS) covered only urban parts of the country. Except three zones of Afar, six zones of Somali, where the residents are pastoralists all urban centers of the country were considered in this survey.

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual aged 10 years and above

Universe

This survey follows household approach and covers households residing in conventional households and thus, population residing in the collective quarters such as universities/colleges, hotel/hostel, monasteries and homeless population etc., are not covered by this survey.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sampling Frame: The list of households obtained from the 2007 Population and Housing Census is used to select EAs. A fresh list of households from each EA was prepared at the beginning of the survey period. The list was then used as a frame in order to select households from sample EAs.

Sample Design: For the purpose of the survey the country was divided into two broad categories. That is major urban center and other urban center categories. Category I:- Major urban centers:- In this category all regional capitals and four other major urban centers that have a high population size as compared to others were included. Each urban center in this category was considered as a reporting level. The category has a total of 15 reporting levels. In this category, in order to select the sample, a stratified two-stage cluster sample design was implemented. The primary sampling units were EAs of each reporting level. Then from each sample EA 30 households were selected as a Second Stage Unit (SSU).

Category II: - Other urban centers: Urban centers in the country other than those under category I were grouped into this category. A domain of other urban centers is formed for each region. Consequently 8 reporting levels were formed in this category. Harari, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa do not have urban centers other the one previously that grouped in category I. Hence, no domain was formed for these regions under this category.

A stratified three stage cluster sample design was adopted to select samples from this category II. The primary sampling units were other urban centers and the second stage sampling units were EAs. From each EA 30 households were finally selected at the third stage and the survey questionnaires administered to all of them.

Sample Size and Selection Scheme Category I:- In this category 371 EAs and 11,130 households were selected. Sample EAs from each reporting level in this category were selected using probability proportional to size systematic sampling; size being number of households obtained from the 2007 population and housing census. From the fresh list of households prepared at the beginning of the survey, 30 households per EA were systematically selected and covered by the study.

Category II:- 82 urban centers, 270 EAs and 8,100 households were selected in this category. Urban centers from each domain and EAs from each urban center were selected using probability proportional to size systematic method; size being number of households obtained from the 2007 Population and housing census. From the listing of each EA then 30 households were systematically selected and the study performed on the 30 households ultimately selected.

The distribution of planned and covered EAs and households and the Estimation procedures are given in the appendix in the final report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The survey questionnaire is organized into six sections; Section - 1: Area identification of the selected household: this section deals with area identification of respondents such as region, zone, wereda, etc. Section - 2: Particulars of household members: it consists of the general socio-demographic characteristics of the population such as age, sex, educational status, types of training and marital status. Section - 3: Economic activity during the last seven days: this section deal with whether persons were engaged in productive activities or not during the last seven days prior to date of interview, the status and characteristics of employed persons such as occupation, industry, employment status, hours of work, employment sector /formal and informal employment/ and earnings from paid employment. Section - 4: Unemployment rate and characteristics