Table of Contents
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Introduction
The importance of employment as a pathway to economic development, social inclusion and well-being has long been recognised. As well as being at the heart of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, employment is a central element in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which places emphasis on promoting productive employment and decent work for all (Goal 8).
In this context, statistics on employment are crucial to monitor progress towards many national and international policy goals. These statistics must not just quantify work and people in employment but also provide meaningful information on the types of jobs people are doing.
The international statistical standards relating to employment have undergone significant changes over time, designed to improve their relevance and depth for policy makers. The most significant of these changes came at the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013 when the international community adopted the first statistical definition of work alongside a forms of work framework. Within the new framework, employment is defined as work performed in return for pay or profit. This is narrower than the scope of the previous definition which included some unpaid activities such as subsistence work.
Data catalogue
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Methods
Worker and sector profiles (PROFILES database)
Concise description of concepts and definitions, uses, sources and limitations of indicators in the Worker and Sector Profiles, including definitions for the groups of occupations and/or sectors recombined to create these profiles.
Labour Force Statistics (LFS, STLFS, RURBAN databases)
Concise description of concepts and definitions, uses, sources and limitations for labour force statistics in various databases (LFS, STLFS, RURBAN).
Work Statistics – 19th ICLS (WORK database)
Concise description of concepts and definitions, uses, sources and limitations for (paid and unpaid) work statistics based on the 19th ICLS standards.
ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST database)
Discover the methods behind the ILO’s modelled estimates on labour force statistics (including the working poor), labour productivity, wage growth and labour migration.
International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC)
ISIC is a standard classification of economic activities arranged so that entities can be classified according to the activity they carry out.
International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)
ISCO is a statistical framework that organizes jobs into a clearly defined set of groups according to the tasks and duties undertaken in the job.
International Classifications of Status in Employment and Status at Work (ICSE and ICSaW)
See the latest international classifications for all forms of work and for employment according to type of authority and economic risk.
Sources and Methods Volume 4: Administrative records and related sources (2004) – Employment, unemployment, wages and hours of work
This volume presents national methodological descriptions of statistics of employment, unemployment, wages and hours of work, derived from administrative records and related sources. It is a revised and updated version of the first edition issued in 1989, and contains 124 descriptions in respect of 102 countries, areas and territories.
Sources and Methods Volume 3A: Household surveys (2004) – Economically active population, employment, unemployment and hours of work
This volume presents national methodological descriptions of statistics of employment, unemployment, underemployment, hours of work and other indicators derived from labour force and household surveys, disseminated on ILOSTAT. It is a revised and updated version of the second edition issued in 1990. This third edition contains descriptions for 83 countries.
Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE)
Adopted by the 15th ICLS (1993), this resolution is designated as the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-93) and classifies jobs held by persons at a point in time.
Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment
Adopted by the 15th ICLS (1993), this resolution is designated as the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-93) and classifies jobs held by persons at a point in time.
Publications
Note: Many publications are available only in English. If available in other languages, a new page will open displaying the options on the right.
The State of Social Justice 2025
This report evaluates key indicators used to measure the global progress and ongoing challenges in achieving social justice, building on the premise of the ILO
World Employment and Social Outlook: May 2025 Update
The latest edition of the World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) Trends reveals new data on job growth forecasts, shifting employment trends, income inequality, and the implications of technological change. It also explores the risks tied to rising geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions, and their ripple effects across regions and sectors.
World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025
The WESO Trends 2025 report provides an in-depth analysis of global labour market trends, highlighting the impacts of slowing economic recovery, persistent youth unemployment, and gender disparities. It examines the structural challenges facing workers worldwide and offers insights into regional and global patterns shaping the future of work.
The working poor… or how a job is no guarantee of decent living conditions
This issue of ILOSTAT’s Spotlight on work statistics focuses on employed people living in extreme poverty around the world. Using ILO’s global estimates of employment by economic class, it shows the great progress achieved during the last few decades in reducing working poverty in the world, and how more effort is still needed to completely eradicate it, particularly considering the strong regional disparities.
Where are the jobs?
This brief casts light on the trends in employment by sector and occupation, by focusing first on the broad sectors and occupations at the global level before moving on to analysing regional patterns.