Sweden is holding an election on Sunday, which earned it a bit of ink in the Times. The article notes that Sweden�s official unemployment rate of 5.7 percent is one of the lowest ones in Europe. It then reports the assertion of the conservative opposition candidate that its unemployment rate would be 21 percent if you add in people on disability, early retirement and in government training programs. It would be helpful if the article provided some evidence to readers to better allow them to assess the truth of this claim. Politicians are known to say things that are not true. Serious reporters do not just report one claim and then a denial. (e.g. Democrats oppose President Bush they claim he is mass murderer. The president denies the allegation.) It is not even clear what the 21 percent figure is intended to refer to. (Does it count every retiree in Sweden as being unemployed?) The OECD does make an effort to standardize measures of employment and unemployment. It reports that the employment rate in Sweden for people between the ages 15 and 64 is 73.5 percent. This compares to 71.5 percent in the United States. This would have been useful information for readers trying to assess competing claims about Sweden�s unemployment problem.
-- Dean Baker
