The OECD unemployment rate remained stable at 5.0% in September 2026, standing 0.2 percentage points (p.p.) above its record low of 4.8% recorded in June 2023 (Figure 1 and Table 1). 35.2 million people were unemployed across the OECD (Table 2). Unemployment rates were at or below 3.0% in Czechia, Israel, Japan, Korea and Mexico. By contrast, Spain and Finland recorded unemployment rates of respectively 10.3% and 11% (Figure 2 and Table 1).
In September 2026, unemployment rates remained broadly unchanged from the previous month in nearly two-thirds of OECD countries with available data, increased in nine countries, and decreased in four. The largest increases were recorded in Finland, where the unemployment rate rose by 1.1 p.p., and Denmark where it rose by 1.0 p.p. These increases were driven mainly by higher unemployment among workers aged 25 and over. By contrast, Colombia recorded the largest decrease (down 1.0 p.p.), driven by lower unemployment among individuals aged 25 and over (Figure 4 and Table 1). Estimates for October 2026 indicate that the unemployment rate in Canada increased slightly to 6.7% while it remained broadly unchanged at 4.1% in the United States.
The OECD youth unemployment rate for individuals aged 15-24 increased by 0.2 p.p. from August, to 11.5%, its highest level in 2026. This was 7.3 p.p. above that of workers aged 25 and over, which remained stable at 4.2%. Double-digit youth unemployment rates were recorded in 29 OECD countries in September 2026 (or in the latest available period), exceeding 20% in Chile, Estonia, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Spain, and Sweden (Figure 3 and Table 4).
The OECD unemployment rates for women and men remained broadly stable in September at 5.1% and 4.9%, respectively, leaving the OECD gender gap in unemployment broadly unchanged at 0.2 p.p. Women’s unemployment rate remained higher than men’s in the European Union, the euro area, and 20 OECD countries in September 2026 (or in the latest period available), with the widest gaps (4.2 p.p. or more) observed in Colombia, Greece and Türkiye. By contrast, men’s unemployment rate exceeded women’s in 17 OECD countries, including all G7 countries except Italy, while the rates were identical for women and men in the Netherlands (Table 3).
Methodology
Release dates
- Next release: 10 December 2026
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