In November 2012, the unemployment rate of the 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries was stable at eight percent, unchanged from the previous month, according to new figures published by the OECD.
In November last year, the unemployment rate for the euro area hit a new record high, up 0.1 percentage point month on month to 11.8 percent, maintaining an uninterrupted increase trend since June 2011. In November, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in the US, falling 0.1 percentage point month on month, while it fell 0.2 points to 7.2 percent in Canada. In November, the unemployment rate in Japan also fell 0.1 points to 4.1 percent. According to December data, the unemployment rate continued to fall in Canada by 0.1 percentage point to 7.1 percent, while it was stable in the United States, month on month.
The highest unemployment rate in November was in Spain at 26.6 percent, followed by Greece at 26 percent (in September), Portugal at 16.3 percent, Ireland at 14.6 percent and Slovakia at 14.5 percent, all compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, in November the unemployment rate in Australia, Austria, Germany, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg and Mexico remained below 5.5 percent.