PRINCIPAL LABOUR FORCE SERIES TREND ESTIMATES


EMPLOYED PERSONS

The trend estimate of employed persons rose from 8,425,300 in July 1997 to 9,056,400 in September 2000. The trend then fell slightly to 9,037,500 in December 2000, before generally rising to stand at a high of 10,478,500 in July 2007.

UNEMPLOYED PERSONS

The trend estimate of unemployed persons generally fell from 758,600 in July 1997 to 583,100 in September 2000, before rising to 681,400 in October 2001. The trend then fell to 531,600 in January 2005, remained relatively stable for 12 months, before falling to stand at 466,200 in July 2007.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

The trend unemployment rate generally fell from 8.3% in July 1997 to 6.0% in September 2000. After rising to 7.0% in October 2001, the trend has generally fallen to stand at 4.3% in July 2007.