OECD jobless rate remains at record low in April

By Tuba Ongun

ANKARA (AA) - The unemployment rate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) area remained at a record low of 4.8% in April, the international group said on Thursday.

The number of jobless people decreased to 33.04 million in April, down from 33.17 million in March, according to the Paris-based organization.

The monthly unemployment rate was unchanged in April in 10 OECD countries, declined in 14, and rose in 9, it said.

The figure was at or close to its record low in only eight countries, including Canada, France, Germany, and the US.

The OECD unemployment rates for women and men were broadly stable at 5% and 4.6%, respectively.

The youth unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 decreased for the second consecutive month, hitting 10.2% in April, the lowest level since 2005.

The largest declines in the unemployment rate for younger workers were seen in Sweden, Norway, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Italy.

In April, the jobless rate in the euro area declined slightly to a new historic low of 6.5%.