OECD unemployment rate stable at 4.9% in Apr 2025

The number of unemployed in the OECD nations also showed little change, totalling 34.4 million in the month.

Compared with March 2025, unemployment rates in April were unchanged in 22 OECD countries, declined in seven and rose in four, including Canada and Turkiye.

Colombia, Italy and the Slovak Republic were the only OECD countries to record monthly unemployment rates near their record lows, an OECD release said.

By contrast, the unemployment rate was at least 2 percentage points (pp) above its record low in 10 OECD countries, with the largest gaps observed in Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Luxembourg.

The OECD unemployment rates for women and men remained broadly stable in April, at 5.1 per cent and 4.8 per cent respectively.

In April 2025, the OECD unemployment rate for younger workers (aged 15-24) held steady at 11.2 per cent, significantly higher—by 7.1 pp—than the similarly stable rate for workers aged 25 and over.

The youth unemployment rate exceeded that of workers aged 25 and over in the European Union (EU), the euro area and in all OECD countries in April 2025.

Japan and Israel recorded the smallest gap, both under 2 pp, while the largest differences, exceeding 15 pp, were recorded in Sweden, Luxembourg, Spain and Costa Rica.

The gap between young workers and those aged 25 and over remained stable in the OECD, the EU and 6 OECD countries in April 2025, compared with March 2025. It narrowed in 15 OECD countries, including France and in the euro area.

In contrast, the gap widened in eight countries, including Canada and the United States, where youth unemployment rose.

In the EU and the euro area, unemployment rates in April remained largely unchanged at 5.9 per cent and 6.2 per cent respectively. Just under two thirds of the 17 OECD euro area countries saw stable unemployment rates in the month, while five recorded a decrease.

In April 2025, the unemployment rate was stable in a majority of OECD countries outside the euro area. It declined in Colombia, which recorded the largest decrease, and South Korea.

By contrast, the unemployment rate increased in Canada, Sweden and Turkiye. Driven by workers aged 25 and over, the sharp increase of 0.6 pp in Turkiye followed a record low in the previous month.

In May 2025, the unemployment rate remained broadly stable in Canada at 7 per cent and in the United States at 4.2 per cent.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)