Short-term trends. Unemployment. Unemployment in the Community. 1990.12

Abstract

According to the most recent available data, Eurostat estimates the seasonally ad-justed unemployment rate based on the ILO (International Labour Office) definition to be 8.4% for the European Comm.unlty In October 1990. The apparent fluctuation in the unemployment rate is due to a revision of data for certain countries. In fact the trend over time shows the Community unemployment rate to be stable with no significant monthly fluctuations. In the former Federal Republic of Germany the reduction in unemployment observed over recent months has continued; however the gradual upward trend in the United Kingdom has persisted, and in Spain there was a relatively significant increase (from 16.2% to 16.7%). The Community unemployment rate has decreased from 8. 7% in October the United States the rate rose from 5.3% in October 1989 to 5.7% in O~[Q'JIIIlt rate for Japan over the same period remained stable at 2.2%. \ . .·~ Only Denmark, the United Kingdom and Portugal experienced ii s)i9ftt~ rr: ~nem-ployment between October 1989 and October 1990, with th~~lieri'IRIOy. . rate in Den-mark increasing from 7.8% in October 1989 to 8.2% on~ ~~a~~1f\'ttJe:'United Kingdom the increase was most noticeable among males, and in '«.~~orig females, but in both cases young people were particularly affected. V .· However taking the Community as a whole, unemployment fOi;young people less than 25 years has decreased from 16.7% in October 1989 to 16.0% in October 1990, despite the arrival onto the labour market of a larger than usual numberof young first-time job see-kers.