In 2023, China's labor force amounted to approximately 772.2 million people. The labor force in China indicated a general decreasing trend in recent years. As both the size of the population in working age and the share of the population participating in the labor market are declining, this downward trend will most likely persist in the foreseeable future. A country’s labor force is defined as the total number of employable people and incorporates both the employed and the unemployed population. Population challenges for China One of the reasons for the shrinking labor force is the Chinese one-child policy, which had been in effect for nearly 40 years, until it was revoked in 2016. The controversial policy was intended to improve people’s living standards and optimize resource distribution through controlling the size of China’s expanding population. Nonetheless, the policy also led to negative impacts on the labor market, pension system and other societal aspects. Today, China is becoming an aging society. The increase of elderly people and the lack of young people will become a big challenge for China in this century. Employment in China Despite the slowing down of economic growth, China’s unemployment rate has sustained a relatively low rate. Complete production chains and a well-educated labor force make China’s labor market one of the most attractive in the world. Working conditions and salaries in China have also improved significantly over the past years. Due to China’s leading position in terms of talent in the technology industry, the country is now attracting investment from some of the world’s leading companies in the high-tech sector.

Graph and download economic data for Not in Labor Force (LNS15000000) from Jan 1975 to Jun 2025 about 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

This statistic shows the share of retail inventory shrinkage in the United States from 2015 to 2018, by source. In 2018, **** percent of retail inventory shrinkage was caused by shoplifting/external issues, whereas *** percent was as a result of vendor fraud or error.

In 2024, the total labor force in Japan was composed of approximately **** million people. The labor force increased from about **** million in the previous year. Women in the labor forceDue to its demographical circumstances, Japan has a relatively low unemployment rate. As a consequence, companies employ different strategies to secure labor. The employment of women is seen as one of the possible solutions to the labor shortages. In recent years, women have increasingly joined the labor force in Japan, which is reflected by a growth of the female employment rate. This growing participation in the labor market is partly underpinned by an expansion of the service sector. Additional workforceNext to women, the growing number of foreign workers, as well as higher participation of the elderly are also worth mentioning. A breakdown of the labor force by age groups showed that in 2024, close to *** million people were continuing to participate in the labor market beyond the set retirement age of 60 or 65 years.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 25 to 54 Years for United States (LFWA25TTUSM647N) from Jan 1955 to May 2025 about 25 to 54 years, working-age, population, and USA.

Businesses or organizations anticipated to shrink office locations due to the workforce teleworking, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), business employment size, type of business, business activity and majority ownership, third quarter of 2021.

In 2023, about ***** million people in China were estimated by the UN to be at a working age between 15 and 64 years. After a steep increase in the second half of the 20th century, the size of the working-age population reached a turning point in 2015 and figures started to decrease thereafter. Changes in the working-age population China's demographic development is characterized by a rapid change from a high fertility rate to a low one. This has caused the development of an arc shaped graph of the working age population: quickly increasing numbers before 2010, a gradual turn with a minor second peak until around 2027, and a steep decline thereafter. The expected second maximum of the graph results from the abolishment of birth control measures after 2010, which proved less successful in increasing birth figures than expected. The same turn can be seen in the number of people eligible for work, with an accelerated downturn in the years of the coronavirus pandemic, where many people left the labor force. It is very likely that the size of the labor force will rebound slightly in the upcoming years, but the extent of the rebound, which parallels the second maximum of the working age population, might be limited. China's labor market China's labor market was once defined by its abundant and cheap labor force, but competition for talent has been getting increasingly tense in recent years. This development is very likely to further intensify and extend itself into the less skilled ranks of the labor market. As the number of people who fall within the retirement age group is increasing and adding to the burden on the economy, steps to keep labor participation high are necessary. Raising the retirement age and providing incentives to stay in the labor force, are measures being implemented by Chinese government. Strategies to increase labor productivity would be ideal to mitigate the pressure on the Chinese economy, however, realizing such strategies is challenging.

The graph shows the number of employed people in China from 2014 to 2024. In 2024, the workforce in China amounted to around 734.4 million people. This marked an annual decrease of six million and is in line with a general downward trend since 2014. Workforce in China China’s total population has been declining since 2022 and dropped by 1.4 million annually to around 1.408 billion as of the end of 2024. This development is also reflected in the number of people in working age which has been shrinking since 2014. The labor force of China, which refers to the population aged 16 and over and capable of working, has been declining since 2016 and ranged at around 772.2 million in 2023. Out of the total number of employed people in 2023, about 470.3 million people were employed in urban areas, while 270.1 million people were working in rural areas. Distribution of the workforce The share of the workforce employed in the primary sector declined significantly from 36.7 percent in 2010 to 22.8 percent in 2023, only interrupted in 2022 by effects related to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the percentage of people employed in the primary sector decreased, the tertiary sector gained importance. As of 2023, about 29.1 percent of Chinese workers were employed in secondary and 48.1 percent in tertiary industries. The share of the workforce employed in the secondary sector increased until 2012 but decreased thereafter due to China's shift towards a service driven economy.

The statistic shows the distribution of the workforce across economic sectors in the United States from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, 1.57 percent of the workforce in the US was employed in agriculture, 19.34 percent in industry and 79.09 percent in services. See U.S. GDP per capita for more information. American workforce A significant majority of the American labor force is employed in the services sector, while the other sectors, industry and agriculture, account for less than 20 percent of the US economy. However, the United States is among the top exporters of agricultural goods – the total value of US agricultural exports has more than doubled since 2000. A severe plunge in the employment rate in the US since 1990 shows that the American economy is still in turmoil after the economic crisis of 2008. Unemployment is still significantly higher than it was before the crisis, and most of those unemployed and looking for a job are younger than 25; youth unemployment is a severe problem for the United States, many college or university graduates struggle to find a job right away. Still, the number of employees in the US since 1990 has been increasing slowly, with a slight setback during and after the recession. Both the number of full-time and of part-time workers have increased during the same period. When looking at the distribution of jobs among men and women, both project the general downward trend. A comparison of the employment rate of men in the US since 1990 and the employment rate of women since 1990 shows that more men tend to be employed than women.

Demographic change in Europe.
Topics: most pressing demographic challenges in the own country; most important threats to the EU’s economic prosperity and competitiveness; attitude towards the following statements about the current demographic trends in the EU: contribute to labour shortages, contribute to skills mismatches, put the EU´s long-term economic prosperity and competitiveness at risk, undermine long-term sustainability of public finances, intensify differences between and within EU member states, affect personal prospects and future possibilities; preferred level of action to manage demographic change: EU level, member state level, both levels, measures to manage demographic change should not be a political priority; attitude towards the following statement: managing demographic change requires close cooperation between all relevant levels of government; most effective actions to address the consequences of a shrinking workforce in the own country: facilitate the combination of paid work and private life, facilitate longer working lives, reform pensions systems, facilitate labour mobility and migration to attract talent from abroad, address youth unemployment, support regions affected by depopulation, other; preferred governmental actions in the own country to enable the current and future generations to lead an active life in old age: support lifelong education and training, adjust workplace conditions to the needs of older persons, allow people to continue working past the official retirement age if they want to, make sure pensions are high enough, provide high-quality and affordable health care services, provide high-quality and affordable long-term care services, provide adequate and affordable housing, other; attitude towards the following statement: digital technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence can help address the consequences of a shrinking and ageing population, including possible labour shortages.

Demography: age; sex; nationality; financial difficulties; age at end of education; occupation; professional position; type of community; household composition and household size; own a mobile phone and fixed (landline) phone.

Additionally coded was: respondent ID; country; type of phone line; region; nation group; weighting factor.

This is a series of semi-structured interview transcripts collected at two health and social care sector sites in the UK. This qualitative study analyses if and how organisations in three countries (Germany, Finland, and the UK) report similar challenges and how they support longer working careers in the HCS. Therefore, we conducted multiple case studies in care organisations. Altogether 54 semi-structured interviews with employees and representatives of management were carried out and analysed thematically. Only the UK data are uploaded here.

Europe is currently undergoing significant demographic change, with an ageing population, shrinking workforce, and increasing life expectancy. In this context, it is necessary to raise the activity rate of older workers in a way that is healthy and productive for workers, employers and countries as a whole. A major issue in extending working lives is that those in different circumstances will be affected differentially by any proposed changes. EXTEND is a cross-national collaborative project which therefore aims to examine inequalities in relation to extending working lives. It addresses inequalities in relation to a number of pertinent issues, including changes to retirement and pension policies, the health and well-being of older workers and retirees, workplace factors, employee skills and training, and regulative and legislative frameworks. The project will take the social services sector as a particularly important example due to the barriers faced by health and care professionals. The evidence base will be generated by drawing on the varied expertise of its partners across five EU countries, employing a range of quantitative and qualitative methods, including policy analysis, panel data methods, natural experiments, a field trial, case studies, interviews and focus groups. We will engage numerous stakeholders with our findings, including policy makers, the business community, workers and their representatives, older people, the general public, and practitioners in the social services sector. The EXTEND project is strongly solution-driven, and has the overall aim of reducing inequalities in retirement structures.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate for Iowa (LBSSA19) from Jan 1976 to May 2025 about participation, IA, labor force, labor, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force in Massachusetts (MALFN) from Jan 1976 to Apr 2025 about MA, civilian, labor force, labor, and USA.

The statistic shows the total population in Japan from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the total population of Japan amounted to around 123.89 million inhabitants. See the figures for the population of South Korea for comparison. Total population in Japan From steadily low fertility rates to a growing elderly population, it is no secret that Japan’s population is shrinking. Population growth rates jump around a little, but are currently following a declining trend. The post-war baby boom generation is now in the 65-and-over age group, and the percentage of the population in that category is expected to keep growing, as is indicated by a high median age and high life expectancy. Japan already has the highest percentage of its population over 65 in the world, and the aging population puts some pressure on the Japanese government to provide welfare services for more people as rising numbers leave the workforce. However, the amount of jobs opened up for the younger generations by the older generations leaving the workforce means that unemployment is kept to a minimum. Despite a jump in unemployment after the global recession hit in 2008, rates were almost back to pre-recession rates by 2013. Another factor affecting Japan is the number of emigrants to other countries. The United States absorbs a number of emigrants worldwide, so despite a stagnating birth rate, the U.S. has seen a steady rise in population.

In 2023, the total population in Japan slightly decreased to just below 125 million people compared to the previous year, with the female population reaching around 63.9 million, as compared to 60.5 million men. The oldest population in the world  Japanese society is facing severe demographic problems such as decreasing birthrates, remaining under one million births annually recently, and a thereby aging population. The country’s average age lies at around 48 years, making its population the oldest in the world. Elderly people aged 65 years and older accounted for about 29 percent of the population in 2023. According to a forecast, the age group 65 years and older would make up approximately 39 percent of the Japanese population by 2070. Challenges with the demographic shift The rapid aging of the society poses significant economic and sociopolitical challenges to the country, as the workforce will continue to shrink while increasingly more elderly will receive long-term support. Currently, close to seven million Japanese require long-term care, leading to national benefit expenses of over 14 trillion yen annually, including in-home and community-based services.

This statistic shows the labor growth in China from 1995 to 2010 and a forecast until 2030. From 1995 to 2010, the labor force in China grew by *** percent.

The average dollar loss per dishonest employee incident for retailers in the United States was 1551,66 U.S. dollars in the financial year of 2020. That year, the average loss for a retailer per shoplifting incident stood at approximately 460 U.S. dollars.

Around ** percent of Chinese executives and operations managers surveyed expect the number of employees in their companies to shrink by at least * percent between 2019 and 2023 due to the adoption of advanced robotics. Moreover, some ** percent of Chinese respondents expect that their workforce will shrink by more than ** percent by 2023. While ** percent of German respondents expect their workforce to shrink by at least * percent between 2019 and 2023, only * percent of German respondents believe that the employee reduction in their companies will exceed ** percent.

In 2023, the average age of persons engaged in farming in Japan stood at 68.7 years. The figure increased significantly throughout the past decade, compared to 66.2 years in 2010. Japan's agricultural workforce is shrinking Japan's aging population and low birth rate have produced a labor shortage in many industries. Since agricultural work is physically demanding and barely profitable and few young people are willing to inherit their parent's farm or enter the sector as newcomers, the number of commercial farm households consequently continues to decrease. The younger generations often prefer to move to metropolitan areas which provide work, convenience, and a modern lifestyle. Further obstacles to the Japanese agricultural sector Its geography complicates agriculture in Japan as the island nation regularly suffers from natural disasters. Typhoons, earthquakes, and tsunamis cause high damage costs to the agriculture, forestry, and fishery industry every year.Furthermore, only about 20 percent of the mountainous archipelago is suitable for cultivation, and the area of cultivated land keeps shrinking as more and more land is used for housing.

Around 15.2 percent of all employee-related shrinkage cases in U.S. retail resulted in a loss of between 1,000 and 1,999 U.S. dollars in 2019. That year, the average dollar loss per dishonest employee incident for retailers in the United States was 1,139.32 U.S. dollars.