Chart of the day: Unemployment is down across the world’s largest economies

economies

A man walks past a shop advertising job vacancies in Leicester, central England November 16, 2011. Unemployment in Britain hit its highest in 15 years and the number of young people out of work soared to a record of more than 1 million, adding to pressure on the government to do more to support a faltering economy. REUTERS/Darren Staples (BRITAIN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS EMPLOYMENT) - LM1E7BG10KS01

The number of employed people in the world’s largest economies is on the rise, as workers enjoy an increasingly healthy job market.

Statistics from the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook, which measures the number of people out of work as a proportion of the overall labour force, shows a dip in unemployment levels across most major economies.

The jobless number fell to a 50-year low in the United States earlier this year, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Rates are currently hovering around levels not seen since 1969, and are down significantly on the post-recession unemployment high of 10% in the wake of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Both Japan and Germany have seen unemployment dip to levels even below the US.

Alongside falling jobless rates, Japan has also seen a hike in the number of positions available as domestic and overseas demand feeds the buoyant job market. However, the country is suffering from the effects of an ageing working population, with dwindling numbers of people available to fill those roles.

The number of people out of work in Germany meanwhile is sitting around historically low levels, not seen since the country’s reunification three decades ago.

European neighbours France and Italy still have relatively high levels of joblessness, although there has still been a marked decline in recent years.

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