noun phrase · neutral
unemployment rate
/ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt reɪt/un·em·PLOY·ment rate
the percentage of the labour force that is unemployed
Examples
“The unemployment rate climbed to 7% last year.”
“Policymakers worry when the unemployment rate stays high for months.”
“A drop in the unemployment rate usually signals an improving economy.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although short‑term fluctuations occur, a persistently high unemployment rate typically reflects structural problems in the labour market.”
Collocations
- high unemployment rate
- falling/rising unemployment rate
Word family
Common mistakes
the unemployment→the unemployment rate
unemployment number→number of unemployed / unemployment rate
Say it for a higher band
5number of unemployed→6jobless rate→7+unemployment rate
Synonyms
jobless rate
Easily confused
jobless rate
“The jobless rate in the region reached 6%.”
Related words
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In Society & Government
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