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unemployment rate

Written byPeter Bondarenko
Peter Bondarenko
Former Assistant Editor, Economics, Encyclopædia Britannica.
Fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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unemployment rate, percentage of unemployed individuals in an economy among individuals currently in the labour force. It is calcuated as Unemployed Individuals/Total Labour Force × 100 where unemployed individuals are those who are currently not working but are actively seeking work.

The unemployment rate is determined at the national level and at state or regional levels via labour-force surveys conducted by the national statistical institute in each country. Organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank also calculate and record the national unemployment rates of large numbers of countries throughout the world on an ongoing basis.

The unemployment rate is one of the primary economic indicators used to measure the health of an economy. It tends to fluctuate with the business cycle, increasing during recessions and decreasing during expansions. It is among the indicators most commonly watched by policy makers, investors, and the general public.

Policy makers and central banks consider how much the unemployment rate has increased during a particular recession to gauge the recession’s impact on the economy and to decide how to tailor fiscal and monetary policies to mitigate its adverse effects. In addition, central banks carefully try to predict the future trend of the unemployment rate to devise long-term strategies to lower it.

Investors and the general public use the unemployment rate to understand the state of a county’s economy and as a measure of how well the government is running the country. A high unemployment rate means that the economy is not able to generate enough jobs for people seeking work. High unemployment not only brings about deeper social problems and prolonged suffering for families but also makes the country less attractive to foreign investors, thereby decreasing the investment funds flowing into the country.

Peter Bondarenko