OECD jobless rate steady at 8.1% in May

The unemployment rate in advanced world economies held steady at 8.1 percent in May, unchanged for the third month running, the OECD said on Tuesday. The United States unemployment rate rose slightly to 9.1 percent in May, with June data showing another increase to 9.2 percent. In the eurozone, the unemployment rate was stable at 9.9 percent for the third month running, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said in a report. In Italy and Spain, now being affected by the eurozone debt crisis, the unemployment rates rose slightly, but the rate in most eurozone countries remained steady or fell slightly. The figures for May showed that Spain had an unchanged 20.9-percent unemployment rate, by far the highest among advanced countries. South Korea's unemployment dropped by 0.3 percentage points to 3.3 percent in May, the lowest level among the countries to report figures.