In the latter part of July 2025, the OECD had a 4.9 percent stable unemployment rate, from April 2022, enduring a trend of staying at or under 5.0 percent. Overall, the number of unemployed individuals across OECD economies was nearly 34.3 million and showed slight adjustments on a monthly basis. In regional analysis, the unemployment rate was steady in 20 countries and dropped in 11 countries. Greece and Norway saw the greatest declines, and it increased slightly in Ireland and Sweden. In some countries like Japan, Korea, and Slovenia, the unemployment ratio is less, which is below 3 percent, and 14 other countries reached a minimum of 1 percent higher than their all-time lows.

The unemployment levels are consistent for both men and women at 5% for women and 4.8% for men. Layoffs among the peer group of 15-24 have slightly declined from 11.4 percent to 11.2 percent in June 2025, and in the above-25 age group, it was 7.1 percent, which was an increase. The unemployment gap among the young population was smallest in countries like Japan and Germany at 3 percent low, whereas the higher rate in countries like Costa Rica, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia stands at more than 15 percent. Generally, there is a 5.9 percent and 6.2 percent steady unemployment rate in both the EU and the euro areas, respectively.

Among the 17 euro area OECD countries, nine experienced stable unemployment, while seven saw decreases due to changes in specific demographic groups. In Greece, for example, the reduction could be attributed mostly to men aged 25 and over, while the improvement in Austria was attributable to young men. In Portugal, women 25 and over accounted for even more unemployment, while in Ireland, the uptick in unemployment could also be attributed to increasing measures for women. Outside of the euro area, unemployment rates were generally stable. Türkiye continued to experience its record low of 8%, which is driven by men aged 25 and over, while increases in Sweden were largely driven by women. In August 2025 Canada had gone through a 7.1 percent increase in the unemployment rate, while the US held a steady 4.3 percent unemployment rate, somewhat higher than it was in the first quarter. In short, the OECD labor market remained overall strong, with minimal upticks at a total level across countries and within demographic groups. While some nations experienced decreases in unemployment rates, youth and gender concerns have not vanished; yet, several nations were still experiencing historically low unemployment, in line with tighter labor markets.