The unemployment rate is the share of the labour force (people who are working or looking for work) who have no job and are actively looking for one. National statistics agencies publish it, usually monthly: in the United States the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), together with Non-Farm Payrolls, and in Mexico INEGI. Major releases can coincide with higher volatility and wider spreads.
Also called: jobless rate, unemployment, labour market data, labor market data
Hypothetical example
Hypothetically, a labour force of 10 million people includes 400,000 who are out of work and looking for a job: an unemployment rate of 4%.
