In December last year, the unemployment rate of the 34 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries fell 0.1 percentage point to 5.5 percent compared to November, 0.1 percentage point lower than the April 2008 pre-crisis rate, according to new figures published by the OECD. The number of unemployed in the OECD region in December was 34.8 million people, 2.2 million more than before the crisis in April 2008.
In December, the unemployment rate for the euro area was at 8.7 percent, remaining stable month on month. In the given month, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in the US at 4.1 percent and fell by 0.1 percentage point each in South Korea to 3.6 percent, in Canada to 5.8 percent and in Mexico to 3.4 percent, while increasing by 0.1 percentage point in Japan to 2.8 percent, all compared to November.