Western European employment change over select periods between 1960-1990

Employment in Western Europe* between the 1960s and early 1970s grew by approximately 0.3 percent, building on the rapid growth that was experienced in the previous decade; although growth was considerably lower due to the fact that overall employment was so high. Growth rates continued to fall throughout the 1970s, before the early 1980s saw negative growth (i.e. a rise in unemployment), following a series of economic crises in the Middle East that led to global recessions. The 1980s also saw governments implement stricter policies that prioritized stable employment and inflation rates, though these were often restricted economic growth when compared to the consistent growth experienced in the 1950s and 1960s; as a result of these policies, employment rates rose once again in the second half of the 1980s.