MDS / UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment Rate - the unemployed share of the labour force
What it measures
The unemployed share of the labour force, not of the whole population. Definitions and surveys vary by country. In the US, it is published in the employment report.
Why traders follow it
Read labour-force participation alongside unemployment. A lower unemployment rate does not always mean new jobs, as people may have stopped looking for work.
Check the country, period and source. A single value or regime label does not determine a trade's direction.
Official methodology