OECD unemployment rates reveal disparities
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The average unemployment rate of those countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) remained unchanged at 8.8%, although this figure masks the variation between different countries.
In the eurozone, for example, the unemployment rate rose to 10% in December, a 0.1 percentage point increase from the previous month. France reported an unemployment rate of 10%, Germany one of 7.5%, and Italy one of 8.5%.
In Japan, the unemployment rate fell to 5.1%. This equals a 0.1 percentage point fall from November, but a 0.8 percentage point increase from December 2008. (article continues below)
Britain, which to date has only released October figures, has an official unemployment rate of 7.8%.
Last week America reported an unemployment rate of 9.7% for January.
The full list can be found on the OECD website.
