1.4 Employment Rate
Why is it significant?
The proportion of the population in work is an indicator of the ability of the economy to generate job opportunities for those who want them.
	How does the UK perform?
	Chart 1.4.1 shows that the UK’s male and female employment rates are above the OECD average. The UK’s male employment rate is the second highest in the G7, bettered only by Japan, whilst the UK’s female unemployment is second only to Canada and substantially exceeds Japan and other major European countries.
	Over the most recent economic cycle (1990-2002), the UK had the third highest average employment rate, behind only Japan and the US (chart 1.4.2). Recent data shows that the UK now has the highest employment rate in the G7, moving ahead of the US in 2002.