Integrating Hidden Unemployment in the Measurement of Unemployment in Selected OECD Countries

This paper utilises OECD bi-annual data from the Economic Outlook database to estimate the extent of hidden unemployment in selected OECD countries. The labour force variations attributable to an economy operating at below full employment level are computed by using a regression modelling framework to generate estimates of the cyclical variations in labour force participation rates. The results show that hidden unemployment is a major problem in the countries studied, and adds to the waste of labour resources that accompany persistent output gaps in OECD countries.