Unemployment rates in OECD countries have remained largely unchanged at 8 per cent, according to the latest figures released by the international organisation.

The report has confirmed Australia’s unemployment rate has fallen slightly to 5.5 per cent in the April period.

Data coming out of Europe is still grim, with unemployment inching up by 0.1 per cent to finish at 12.2 per cent at the end of April, a full 1.3 per cent higher than its mid-90’s peak.

Unemployment dropped in the US by 0.1 per cent to finish off at 7.5 per cent, while Korea has continued to post solid results record a 3.1 per cent unemployment rate.

Trends in unemployment rates across OECD countries have diverged significantly since the beginning of the economic and financial crisis. In May 2013, unemployment rates were significantly below the peaks reached in the second half of 2009 in Canada and theUnited States (1.6 and 2.4 percentage points lower, respectively).

The full set of global statistics can be found here