Discussing unemployments rates at a point in time is not exactly scientific, it depends to a large extent on the particular point within the business cycle an economy is sitting. It wouldn't be a suprise to find significant differences between national unemployment rates over time, however, yet those differences might be accounted for just as much by measurement differences as they are by structural differences in different economies. More importantly unemployment rates are dependent upon a basic measure: those people who are not employed, but are actively seeking employment. All too often, it is the latter distinction that makes the difference. Counting those who are seeking employment will depend on their attendance at a 'job centre'. Those who don't go to the job centre, but, for instance, are merely searching the newspaper ads would not be counted amongst the unemployed. Also, those receiving benefits are not necessarily unemployed by definition. Another significant issue is the number of people not employed officially (not paying tax), or those not employed lawfully (active criminals). It is the latter variety that might set countries apart. Some indication of the levels can be gleaned from international prison populations. By most measures, the US has a prison population that is five to six times the comparative levels found in Western Europe (measured per 100,000) and twice that found in Eastern Europe. Assuming a jobless figure of say 5 per cent in the US, then you can add something like a percentage point for the number of people in prison. Perhaps more considering the age range of prisoners will be roughly equivalent to the age group of the working population. Leading on from that, we might assume that there as many, if not more people gaining income through criminal activities who are not in prison. In which case, add another two percentage points to the figure. You could argue that without a Welfare State, the probability that an unemployed person would engage in criminal activities to make ends meet is higher than for a society with a Welfare State. Crime is a function of a social and economic structure just as much as unemployment. Simon