JOBLESS

JOBLESS YOUNGSTERS Unemploy ment rates among young people are generally much higher than total jobless rates. But many OECD countries have made progress in reducing youth unemployment rates. The OECD average rate of joblessness for people aged between 15 and 24 dropped slightly from 14.1% in 1995 to 13.2% in 1996. In 1983 the average rate was 17.5%. Most OECD countries have youth unemployment rates below 20%, but they remain well above that level in France, Finland, Italy and Spain. Over 40% of Spaniards between the ages of 15 and 24 are out of work. That is almost twice as high as Spain's overall unemployment rate, which was 22.2% in 1996. In the United States, the jobless rate for youngsters in 1996 was 12.0%.