BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Around the World  
in Eight Charts  March 2008 
  
Jules  Verne  isn't  the  only  one who  can 
take  you  on  a  worldwide  adventure. 
Travel the globe in eight charts with the 
Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics!  Although 
BLS is the premier source for U.S.  labor 
statistics,  the  Bureau  is  also  widely 
recognized  for  providing  comparable 
international  data.  BLS  provides 
information  on  employment, 
unemployment,  productivity,  compensation  costs,  and  other  labor‐
related measures for countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia and 
the Pacific.  
 
Let's begin our tour!  
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 1 
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
 
Teens Have Higher Unemployment Rates, but Less So in 
Germany 
Worldwide,  the  unemployment  rate  for  teenagers  is  generally  higher  than  the 
unemployment  rate  for  adults.  In  Germany,  however,  teens may  have  relatively 
better  luck  landing  a  job.  German  teenagers  have  among  the  lowest 
unemployment  rates  in  Europe.  This  partly  is  due  to  an  apprenticeship  system 
that  provides  employment  and  training  for  young  persons.  Compared  to  other 
countries  around  the  world,  the  gap  between  the  adult  and  teenage 
unemployment rates in Germany is strikingly small. 
 
Teenage and adult unemployment rates, 2006
40
15 or 16 to 19 years*
25 years and over 33.2
30.9 31.1
30
20.3
20
15.4
14.2 14.8 14.7
9.6 10.1
10
9.9
8.1
5.6
4.6 5.0
3.8 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.8
0
Germany Japan Nether- Canada Australia United United France Sweden Italy
lands States Kingdom
* 15-19 years for Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands.  16-19 in all others.
 
 
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 2 
Percent
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Worldwide Differences in  
Labor Productivity Growth 
Among  other  things,  Italy  is  known  for  its  labor‐intensive  production  of  high‐
fashion clothing and accessories. While a fashion‐conscious traveler might want to 
purchase  an  Italian  designer  handbag,  an  economist  might  wonder  how  many 
handbags  are  being  produced  per  hour.  Such  detailed  productivity  data  are  not 
available,  but  broader  measures  are.  Trends  in  output  per  hour,  or  labor 
productivity,  in  manufacturing  differ  considerably  across  countries.  Average 
annual  growth  in  manufacturing  labor  productivity  between  1992  and  2006 
ranged  from  0.8  percent  in  Italy  to  9  percent  in  South  Korea.  As  a  major 
industrialized  country,  Italy's  relatively  low productivity  trend contrasts  sharply 
with productivity growth rates in other economies. 
 
Average annual growth rates in output per hour in manufacturing,
1992-2006
South Korea 9.0
Sweden 6.9
Taiwan 5.4
United States 4.8
France 4.1
Netherlands 3.7
Germany 3.6
Japan 3.6
Belgium 3.1
United Kingdom 3.0
Denmark 2.7
Australia 2.6
Canada 2.5
Norway 2.3
Spain 1.7
Italy 0.8
Percent 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 3 
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Rapid Growth in South Korea 
In South Korea you can find the hottest in cell phones, flat screen televisions, and 
other electronic gadgets. Korea's rate of economic growth, as measured by growth 
in the country's gross domestic product (GDP) relative to its population, has also 
been hot  in recent years. Between 2000 and 2006, real GDP per person in Korea 
grew approximately 4.2 percent per year,  up  from 3.5 percent during  the 1995‐
2000 period. On the flip side, many other countries have experienced slower rates 
of economic growth in recent years compared to the 1995‐2000 period. 
 
Average annual growth rates in real GDP per capita, 
1995-2000 and 2000-2006
5
1995-2000 2000-2006
4
3
2
1
0
South Spain Nether- Canada Sweden Australia United United France Germany Italy Japan
Korea lands Kingdom States
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 4 
Percent
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Low Unemployment in Japan 
Unemployment  rates  vary  substantially  across  countries  and  over  time.  
Historically,  Japan  has  had  relatively  low  unemployment  rates,  as  shown  in  the 
chart  below.    Japan  has  been  able  to maintain  low  unemployment  rates  in  part 
because  of  the  large  numbers  of women who  are  temporary  or  casual workers.  
When economic downturns occur there, these temporary and casual workers are 
often  the  first  to be  let go.   Women  in  Japan are  less  likely  than men  to  look  for 
another  job  after  losing  a  position.  They  are  therefore  not  counted  among  the 
unemployed, and  their  flexibility enables  regular  full‐time workers  to keep  their 
positions. 
 
Unemployment rates, 1991-2006
12
10 Europe - average of France, Germany, Italy, and the United
8
United States Canada
6
4
Japan
2
0
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006  
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 5 
Percent 
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Manufacturing Competitiveness 
Wages,  bonuses,  benefits  —  these  are  terms  that  are  familiar  to  workers  and 
employers alike. Hourly compensation costs, including basic wages and other pay 
and  benefits,  are  one  measure  of  international  competitiveness.  In  2006, 
Norwegian  factory  owners  had  among  the  highest  compensation  costs  in  the 
world: the average total of $41.05 per hour included $27.54 in wages and $13.51 
for  other  pay  and  benefits.  At  the  other  extreme,  average  manufacturing 
compensation costs  in  the Philippines were among the  lowest  that same year, at 
$1.07 per hour. These costs  included $0.80  in wages and $0.27  in other pay and 
benefits. 
 
Hourly compensation costs for production workers in 
manufacturing by wages and other pay and benefits, 2006
Philippines Basic wages Other pay and benefits
Brazil
Czech Republic
New Zealand
Japan
United States
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Germany
Norway
U.S. dollars $0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25 $30 $35 $40 $45
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 6 
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Employment Growth "Down Under" 
No round‐the‐world adventure would be complete without a stop "Down Under." 
Since the early 1990s, employment  in Australia has grown about 1.9 percent per 
year,  the  highest  employment  growth  among many  developed  countries  during 
this  period.    (NOTE:  Due  to  rounding,  the  average  annual  growth  rate  in 
employment was 0.0 percent for Japan, Germany, and Sweden between 1991 and 
2006,  even  though  there  were  slight  changes  in  employment  levels  in  these 
countries over the period.) 
 
Average annual growth rates in employment, 1991-2006
2.0 1.9
1.7
1.5
1.5 1.4
1.0
0.7 0.7
0.5 0.4
0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0
Australia Canada Nether- United France United Italy Japan Germany Sweden
lands States Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 7 
Percent
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
From Cars to Clothes:  
Patterns in Compensation Costs 
Average  worker  compensation  costs  in  manufacturing  differ  greatly  across 
countries.  Within  each  country,  however,  compensation  differences  between 
manufacturing industries follow a similar pattern. In 2005, compensation costs in 
the motor vehicles industry were among the highest in manufacturing, while costs 
in textiles, apparel, and leather were among the lowest. Industry differentials are 
notably large in Brazil, with compensation costs  in motor vehicles more than 3.5 
times as much as costs in textiles, apparel, and leather.   
 
Hourly compensation costs by industry 
for production workers in manufacturing, 2005
$50
44.95
$45 Motor Vehicles
Computers and Electronic Products
$40 Food, Beverages, and Tobacco
35.62 Textiles, Apparel, and Leather
$35
29.92
$30
26.33 26.63
$25 22.74
19.51
$20
15.43
$15
$10 7.76
6.67
$5 3.02 3.52 2.88
2.14 2.15 1.90
$0
Germany United States Brazil Mexico
 
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 8 
U.S. Dollars.
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Shifting Shares of Manufacturing  
and Service Sector Employment 
Over time, more workers are employed in the services sector, and relatively fewer 
in  manufacturing.    In  the  United  States,  the  share  of  employment  in  services 
increased  from about 60 percent  in 1965  to 79 percent  in 2005.  In contrast,  the 
share of U.S. employment in manufacturing decreased from 27 percent to about 12 
percent. This employment shift from manufacturing to services seen in the United 
States is also seen in countries around the world. This is true to such an extent that 
employment  shares  in  services  and  manufacturing  appear  to  be  converging  to 
similar  levels among  industrialized countries.    (Note: Employment shares shown 
do not  represent  the  total economy, because employment  in agriculture, mining, 
and construction is excluded; therefore, the shares for each country do not sum to 
100  percent.  In  chart:  AUL  =  Australia;  CAN  =  Canada;  FRA  =  France;  NTH  = 
Netherlands; SWE = Sweden; UK = United Kingdom; US = United States.) 
 
Share of total employment in manufacturing and services sectors, 
1965 and 2005
40
35 UK
SWE
30
NTH
FRA US
AUL
25
CAN
20
1965
FRA SWE
15
CAN NTH
UK
AUL US
10
2005
5
40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
Services share (percent)
 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 9 
Manufacturing share (percent)
BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT CHARTS www.bls.gov/spotlight 
Continue the Adventure 
The eight charts in this Spotlight on Statistics showcase just a small sample of the 
comparative  international  labor  statistics  that  BLS  has  to  offer.  In  addition  to 
employment, unemployment, productivity,  and compensation measures, BLS has 
consumer price indexes, labor force participation rates, and other indicators for up 
to  36  economies  around  the  world.  Another  country  that  has  been  studied  is 
China, for which limited statistics are available from BLS.  
To  continue  your  adventure  in  international  labor  statistics,  please  see  the 
following: 
• BLS Foreign Labor Statistics program homepage (www.bls.gov/fls/)  
• Data Available from the BLS Foreign Labor Statistics program 
(www.bls.gov/fls/availability.htm)   
• A Chartbook of International Labor Comparisons by the U.S. Department of 
Labor  
(www.dol.gov/asp/media/reports/chartbook/2008‐01/chartbook.pdf) 
• "Comparative civilian labor force statistics, 10 countries: a visual essay" 
from the December 2007 Monthly Labor Review 
(www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2007/12/art4exc.htm) 
General Information 
For more information, please call (202) 691‐5200. 
Media Contact  
The news media can contact the BLS Press Assistant at  
(202) 691‐5902. 
 
Note: Data in text and charts are the latest available at the time of publication. 
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 10