OECD Unemployment Rate Holds Steady at 5% in September

The unemployment rate across OECD countries remained at 5% throughout September 2026. The total number of jobless individuals in these nations reached 35.2 million. This result is 0.2 percentage points higher than the historical low of 4.8% observed in June 2023.

The situation for young people aged 15 to 24 worsened during the period. The rate for this age group rose by 0.2 percentage points to reach 11.5%. This is the highest level recorded throughout 2026. In countries such as Spain, France, Finland, and Sweden, youth unemployment surpassed the 20% threshold.

Regional variations differed among the organization's members. Finland recorded an increase of 1.1 percentage points, while Denmark saw a rise of 1 point. Conversely, Colombia showed the most significant decline, with a drop of 1 percentage point in the metric.

Labor market performance varied by geographic location and worker gender. The rate stood at 5.1% for women and 4.9% for men. Preliminary data for October show divergent trends, with unemployment rising to 6.7% in Canada and falling to 4.1% in the United States.