The US labour market continues its slow recovery from the 2008-09 recession, but the unemployment rate remains significantly higher than before the financial crisis

In a letter to President Obama, Secretary-General Angel Gurría acknowledged that Americans demonstrated their recognition of the President's many achievements during his first four years in the White House.

Gains in female education attainment have contributed to a worldwide increase in women’s participation in the labour force, but considerable gaps remain in working hours, conditions of employment and earnings.  More specific data for the United States are available in this country note.

Global economic activity is picking up, but the continuing crisis in the euro area is delaying a meaningful recovery, the OECD said in its latest Interim Economic Assessment.

The Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurría, will be in Washington to attend the International Monetary Fund / World Bank Spring Meetings, as well as the G20 meetings of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.

The United States should improve postsecondary career and technical training provisions to help students transition smoothly into education programs and the labor market, according to a new OECD report published today.

A moderate recovery is underway in the major advanced economies, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment. Growth is proceeding at encouraging rates in North America, Japan and the UK. The euro area as a whole is out of recession, although output remains weak in a number of countries.

The Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurría, will be in Washington from 10 to 12 October 2013, to attend the Annual Meeting of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund, where he will deliver statements at the International Monetary and Finance Committee and Development Committee.

There is no simple remedy for fixing the post-crisis global economy. But three key ingredients for sustainable long-term growth are jobs, equality and trust, said OECD Secretary-General in Washington.

The global economic crisis has had a profound impact on people’s well-being, reaching far beyond the loss of jobs and income, and affecting citizens’ satisfaction with their lives and their trust in governments, according to a new OECD report.

An OECD study published today says the United States should take concerted action to address the adult skills challenge, warning it could progressively fall behind other countries. The study argues that low-skilled populations face a bleak future, creating challenges both to equity and social cohesion.

The OECD was born transatlantic since its very origins as the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation in 1948, established in the immediate post-war period to manage and distribute Marshall Plan aid to reconstruct Europe. The centre of gravity of the world economy is now shifting and will continue to do so but this does not mean that the Transatlantic Partnership has a lesser role to play on the global stage, said Angel Gurría.

The Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurría, will be in Washington on 2-3 December 2013, to present the results of the 2013 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), alongside Mr. Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education of the United States. The Secretary-General will also meet with several high-level US officials.

Note summarising the performance of 15-year-old students in the United States in the PISA 2012 assessment of mathematics, reading and science

Inequality is a multi-dimensional challenge, it goes beyond income and it affects the wellbeing of our people. We need a multidisciplinary policy response and that’s what the Inclusive Growth initiative that we are launching in the OECD will provide.

Recovery is under way in the world’s advanced economies, underpinned by supportive financial conditions and reduced drag from budgetary tightening, but activity in the major emerging markets is mixed, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

This note presents key findings for the United States from Society at a Glance 2014 - OECD Social indicators. This 2014 publication also provides a special chapter on: the crisis and its aftermath: a “stress test” for societies and for social policies.

Note summarising the United States' results in the PISA 2012 problem solving assessment.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, was in Washington from 10 to 13 April 2014, to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FM&CBG) meetings and the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings. While in Washington, Mr. Gurría also held bilateral meetings with several US senior officials.

The most effective policy tool kit to address high inequalities and to extend opportunities is one that combines education and job training measures, policies to boost job creation, and reforms to make the tax and benefit system and public services more efficient.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Washington on 12-13 June 2014 to present the 2014 OECD Economic Survey of the United States. While in Washington, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a seminar on Inclusive Growth hosted at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He will also have meetings with high level US officials.

Economic recovery in the United States is stronger than in most OECD countries, but it will remain sluggish unless new reforms are launched to boost growth, according to OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States.

Country notes highlight some key findings from TALIS 2013 for individual countries and economies

Gains made towards slowing health expenditure growth in the United States in recent years could be negated by price increases associated with the continuing economic recovery unless more efforts are made to contain spending, says a new OECD paper published in The Lancet.

The USA has exceptional levels of health-care expenditure, but growth slowed dramatically in recent years, amidst major efforts to close the coverage gap with other OECD countries.

The ability to measure innovation is essential to an improvement strategy in education. This country note analyses how the practices are changing within classrooms and educational organisations and how teachers develop and use their pedagogical resources.

The proportion of adults in the U.S. population with a tertiary qualification is growing more slowly than in most OECD countries, while fewer Americans are achieving an educational level which is higher than that of their parents, a new OECD study finds.

A moderate expansion is underway in most major advanced and emerging economies, but growth remains weak in the euro area, which runs the risk of prolonged stagnation if further steps are not taken to boost demand, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

OECD Secretary-General was in New York from 22 to 25 to attend the United Nations Climate Summit, in which he moderated a panel discussion on “The Economic Case for Action”. He also held bilateral meetings with several world leaders attending the Summit and UN high level officials.

On the occasion of the OECD High Level Policy Forum on Migration taking place on December 1 and 2 2014, Secretary General Angel Gurria congratulates President Obama on taking action to address the unsustainable situation of undocumented immigrants.

The tax burden in the United States of America increased by 1percentage point from 24.4% to 25.4% in 2013. The OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.7% to 34.1%. The United States is the only OECD country that employs a retail sales tax rather than a value added tax (VAT) as the principal consumption tax.

Going for Growth 2015: Key findings for United States

Low oil prices and monetary easing are boosting growth in the world’s major economies, but the near-term pace of expansion remains modest, withabnormally low inflation and interest rates pointing to risks of financial instability, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

In his speech delivered at the Brookings Institute, OECD Secretary-General Gurría explains that OECD’s numbers tell a clear-cut story of how our traditional economic growth agenda has neglected inclusiveness. Yet to begin to tackle this problem, we have to understand that inequality is not just about money. It touches every area of people’s lives.

Mr. Gurría attended the Spring meetings of the World Bank Group, IMF and G20 Finance Ministers, and held meetings with high-level officials from the US and other countries. He delivered remarks at various events and also presented the report Pensions at a Glance: Latin America and Caribbean as well as the 2015 OECD SME Scoreboard.

Levels of alcohol consumption in the United States are close to the OECD average and have remained relatively stable in the last 20 years, but with a progressive shift from beer to spirit consumption. In 2011, an average of 8.6 litres of pure alcohol per capita was consumed in the United States, compared with an estimate of 9.5 litres in the OECD.

The Secretary-General attended the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 agenda and the UN 2015 general assembly. He delivered remarks on strengthening global partnership for the post-2015 development agenda, participated in high-level events in the margins of the summit, and met with leaders and officials also in attendance.

Life expectancy in the United States is lower than in most other OECD countries for several reasons, including poorer health-related behaviours and the highly fragmented nature of the US health system. The proportion of adults who smoke in the United States is among the lowest in OECD countries, but alcohol consumption is rising and obesity rate is the highest.

President Barack Obama held a press conference at the OECD with international media on COP21 and Syria as his trip to Paris draws to a close. See photos of the event.

Drought in California has been in the headlines frequently these last three years, with startling pictures of empty reservoirs, rivers and canals, wildfires, disappearing snowpack and dry earth. Yet these dramatic effects have not stopped the agricultural sector from growing.

In 2012, 26% of students in the United States (U.S.) were low performers in mathematics (OECD average: 23%), 17% were low performers in reading (OECD average: 18%), 18% were low performers in science (OECD average: 18%), and 12% were low performers in all three of these subjects (OECD average: 12%)

The Secretary-General launched the OECD/Ford Foundation Inclusive Growth in Cities Campaign along with more than 20 mayors from around the world. He also held bilateral meetings with several mayors attending the event and met with UN ambassadors.

The Secretary-General attended the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FM&CBG) Meeting and the International Monetary Fund/World Bank (IMF/WB) Spring Meetings. He also presented the OECD Scoreboard on Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs and attended a series of meetings and other events.

The Secretary-General was in Washington to present the 2016 OECD Economic Survey of the United States. He also delivered a keynote speech on inclusive cities, delivered remarks on improving opportunities for women in the United States, and attended the Bretton Woods II At Sea Event.

The US economy is making one of the strongest comebacks in the OECD, but there are risks on the horizon, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States.

Improving opportunities for women in the United States

The OECD has welcomed the release by China and the US of peer reviews of their fossil fuel subsidies.

The Secretary-General participated in a number of events including the UN General Assembly and the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants. He also presented the OECD International Migration Outlook 2016 as well as the OECD African Economic Outlook and the publication "States of Fragility 2016".

This country note provides an environmental tax and carbon pricing profile for the United States. It shows environmentally related tax revenues, taxes on energy use and effective carbon rates.

The Secretary-General attended the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group. He also delivered remarks at a number of other events including a keynote speech on the “The Integration of Migrants and Refugees: Challenges and Opportunities” at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and the launch of the Model G20 Program at American University.