World unemployment up despite economic recovery

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Paris: Despite signs of an economic revival gathering pace around the globe, the millions of people laid off during the worst recession in 70 years are unlikely to see relief any time soon as joblessness is still climbing in many of the world's largest economies.

Unemployment data typically lags other indicators of economic health as companies hold off adding staff in the early stages of a rebound. The upturns recorded recently in the United States, France, Germany and elsewhere have been largely driven by temporary factors such as industry restocking following spending freezes, as well as the billions spent on stimulus programs.

This week the European Union forecast unemployment in the eurozone will rise to 10.7 per cent in 2010 from 9.5 per cent this year.

Unemployment rates in the 30 wealthy countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development range from a low of 3.5 per cent in the Netherlands to 18.3 per cent in Spain, according to September figures.

And eurozone unemployment rose to a 10-year high of 9.7 per cent in September.

In the developing world, the downturn has also taken its toll. Unemployment in Brazil appears now to be stabilizing, but in Mexico, after hitting a 13-year high in August, unemployment has continued to rise, reaching 6.4 per cent in September.

In the United States, economists expect the unemployment rate will tick up to 9.9 per cent when October's figure is reported Friday. The jobless rate hit a 26-year high of 9.8 per cent in September.

Here is a look at unemployment rates around the world:

GERMANY: German unemployment fell for a second month in October, but the effects of the financial crisis lingered and it is still too early to expect a turnaround in the economy, the country's labour ministry said. The unadjusted jobless rate in Europe's biggest economy was 7.7 per cent, down from 8 per cent the previous month and below the 8.3 per cent in August, the Federal Labour Agency said. The dip in unemployment comes nearly two weeks after the German government raised its growth forecast and predicted that Europe's biggest economy will expand by 1.2 per cent in 2010, up from an earlier prediction of 0.5 per cent.