In 2025, there were estimated to be approximately 3.6 billion people employed worldwide, compared to 2.23 billion people in 1991 - an increase of around 1.4 billion people. There was a noticeable fall in global employment between 2019 and 2020, when the number of employed people fell from due to the sudden economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Formal vs. Informal employment globally Worldwide, there is a large gap between the informally and formally employed. Most informally employed workers reside in the Global South, especially Africa and Southeast Asia. Moreover, men are slightly more likely to be informally employed than women. The majority of informal work, nearly 90 percent, is within the agricultural sector, with domestic work and construction following behind. Women’s employment As the number of employees has risen globally, so has the number of employed women. Overall, care roles such as nursing and midwifery have the highest shares of female employees globally. Moreover, while the gender pay gap has shrunk over time, it still exists. As of 2024, the uncontrolled gender pay gap was 0.83, meaning women made, on average, 83 cents per every dollar earned by men.

In 2023, there were estimated to be approximately *** billion people employed worldwide, compared to **** billion people in 1991 - an increase of over one billion people. Of these employed people in 2023, approximately *** billion were men, and *** billion were female.

Whereas the number of people employed within agriculture in the world decreased over the past 30 years, the number of employees within trade, transportation, accommodation and food, as well as business and administrative services has exploded, rising from *** millions in 1991 to over *********** in 2023, meaning that it's now the economic sector that employs the highest number of people in the world. Also the public administration sector has seen a significant growth in the number of employees over the past decades.

Key information about United States Employed Persons

• United States Employed Persons was reported at 163,307,000.000 Person in Feb 2025
• It recorded a decrease from the previous number of 163,895,000.000 Person for Jan 2025
• US Employed Persons data is updated monthly, averaging 109,912,500.000 Person from Jan 1948 to Feb 2025, with 926 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 163,895,000.000 Person in Jan 2025 and a record low of 57,172,000.000 Person in Jun 1949
• US Employed Persons data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Employed Persons: Monthly: Seasonally Adjusted

This dataset provides values for EMPLOYED PERSONS reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in World was reported at 23.69 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Employment in industry (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2023, there were estimated to be approximately *** million people employed worldwide in agriculture, compared to *** billion people in services, and *** million people in industry. Since 1991, the number of people working within the services sector has more than doubled.

This dataset provides values for EMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in World was reported at 50.22 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Employment in services (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

39.8% of workers from the Indian ethnic group were in 'professional' jobs in 2021 – the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups in this role.

Key information about India Employed Persons

• India Employed Persons was reported at 470,495,536.230 Person in Dec 2021
• It recorded an increase from the previous number of 447,183,819.730 Person for Dec 2020
• India Employed Persons data is updated yearly, averaging 384,395,378.330 Person from Dec 1970 to 2021, with 52 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 485,507,600.000 Person in 2019 and a record low of 209,275,793.440 Person in 1970
• India Employed Persons data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Employed Persons: Annual: Asia

In 2024, the employment-to-population ratio worldwide was estimated to be approximately ** percent, indicating that nearly ** percent of the global population above 15 years was employed. Among the provided regions, Africa had the highest employment-to-population ratio, at ** percent, with Europe and Central Asia having the lowest at ** percent. Global income growth As greater portions of the population hold stable employment over time, income has also grown globally. From 1970 until today, North America has seen the largest increase in net national incomes per capita, but this increase has occurred in other regions as well. In terms of real wages, while they have grown over time, they have experienced a slight decrease in light of the high global inflation rates. Decrease in child labor Even though greater proportions of the population are employed, child labor has decreased over time. In 2000, there were *** million children working, which has decreased to *** million by 2020. The majority of working children are in the agricultural sector, especially younger children within the 5-11 and 12-14 age groups.

Key information about Canada Employed Persons

• Canada Employed Persons was reported at 20,994,500.000 Person in Feb 2025
• It recorded an increase from the previous number of 20,993,400.000 Person for Jan 2025
• Canada Employed Persons data is updated monthly, averaging 14,760,350.000 Person from Jan 1976 to Feb 2025, with 590 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 20,994,500.000 Person in Feb 2025 and a record low of 9,636,700.000 Person in Jan 1976
• Canada Employed Persons data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Employed Persons: Monthly: Seasonally Adjusted

Key information about China Employed Persons

• China Employed Persons was reported at 734,390,000.000 Person in Dec 2024
• It recorded a decrease from the previous number of 740,410,000.000 Person for Dec 2023
• China Employed Persons data is updated yearly, averaging 535,585,000.000 Person from Dec 1949 to 2024, with 74 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 763,490,000.000 Person in 2014 and a record low of 180,820,000.000 Person in 1949
• China Employed Persons data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Employed Persons: Annual

Key information about Saudi Arabia Employed Persons

• Saudi Arabia Employed Persons was reported at 17,181,335.000 Person in Sep 2024
• It recorded an increase from the previous number of 16,864,059.000 Person for Jun 2024
• Saudi Arabia Employed Persons data is updated quarterly, averaging 13,455,138.000 Person from Mar 2015 to Sep 2024, with 39 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 17,181,335.000 Person in Sep 2024 and a record low of 11,060,210.000 Person in Mar 2015
• Saudi Arabia Employed Persons data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Employed Persons: Quarterly

In 2024, the education and health services industry employed the largest number of people in the United States. That year, about 37 million people were employed in the education and health services industry. Education and Health Services Industry Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States has started to fall behind in both education and the health care industry. Although the U.S. spends the most money in both these industries, they do not see their desired results in comparison to other nations. Furthermore, in the education services industry, there was a relatively significant wage gap between men and women. In 2019, men earned about 1,070 U.S. dollars per week on average, while their female counterparts only earned 773 U.S. dollars per week. Employment in the U.S. The 2008 financial crisis was a large-scale event that impacted the entire world, especially the United States. The economy started to improve after 2010, and the number of people employed in the United States has been steadily increasing since then. However, the number of people employed in the education sector is expected to slowly decrease until 2026. The overall unemployment rate in the United States has decreased since 2010 as well.

Panama Employment: Office Workers data was reported at 109,453.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 104,802.000 Person for 2016. Panama Employment: Office Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 118,088.000 Person from Aug 2003 (Median) to 2017, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 160,033.000 Person in 2010 and a record low of 104,802.000 Person in 2016. Panama Employment: Office Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Census. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Panama – Table PA.G006: Employment and Underemployment.

Graph and download economic data for Employment-Population Ratio (EMRATIO) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about employment-population ratio, civilian, 16 years +, household survey, employment, population, and USA.

Spain Number of Jobs: Employees: Agriculture data was reported at 445.465 Person th in Sep 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 478.013 Person th for Jun 2018. Spain Number of Jobs: Employees: Agriculture data is updated quarterly, averaging 433.200 Person th from Mar 1995 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 95 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 495.400 Person th in Mar 2007 and a record low of 325.400 Person th in Sep 1995. Spain Number of Jobs: Employees: Agriculture data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Statistics Institute. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Spain – Table ES.G034: Number of Jobs: ESA 2010: Base 2010 Methodology.

France Employment: Payroll: Publishing, Audiovisual, & Broadcasting data was reported at 214.158 Person th in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 210.772 Person th for 2015. France Employment: Payroll: Publishing, Audiovisual, & Broadcasting data is updated yearly, averaging 210.430 Person th from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2016, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 225.595 Person th in 2001 and a record low of 170.142 Person th in 1989. France Employment: Payroll: Publishing, Audiovisual, & Broadcasting data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G018: Employment: Payroll and Self Employed Workers by Industry: Metropolitan France: NAF Rev. 2.