Table of Contents
Introduction
Access to employment for all is a key goal of policymakers around the globe. Employment is indeed a core element of our livelihoods and lives. However, having a job is no guarantee of a decent living: job quality is required as well. Working conditions on the job will determine to a great extent our living conditions.
Remuneration is a crucial aspect of working conditions. Decent work is productive work which provides workers with adequate earnings, ensuring satisfactory living conditions for workers and their families. At the same time, monitoring the evolution of wages and earnings provides insights into the extent to which workers benefit from gains in productivity.
The objective of non-discrimination and equal treatment in employment implies that workers should receive equal pay for work of equal value. Disaggregated data for wages statistics serve to assess the extent to which this is true.
Data catalogue
| "Indicator" | Frequency | Database | Subject | Download (with labels) | Download (with codes) | Data explorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG indicator 8.5.1 - Average hourly earnings of employees by sex (Local currency) | Annual | SDG Labour Market Indicators (ILOSDG) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Average monthly earnings of employees by sex and economic activity | Annual | Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Mean nominal monthly earnings of employees by sex and economic activity (local currency) | Quarterly | Short-Term Labour Force Statistics (STLFS) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Mean nominal monthly earnings of employees by sex and economic activity (local currency) | Monthly | Short-Term Labour Force Statistics (STLFS) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Average monthly earnings of employees by sex and occupation | Annual | Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Average monthly earnings of employees by sex and disability status | Annual | Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Mean nominal monthly earnings of prime-age employees by sex, household type and presence of children (local currency) | Annual | Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Mean nominal monthly earnings of prime-age employees by sex, household type and rural / urban areas (local currency) | Annual | Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Average hourly earnings of employees by sex and occupation | Annual | Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Statutory nominal gross monthly minimum wage | Annual | Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Low pay rate by sex (%) | Annual | Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Female share of low pay earners (%) | Annual | Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz | |
| Gender wage gap by occupation (%) | Annual | Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) | Earnings | .csv .dta .xlsx | .csv.gz |
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Methods
Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND database)
Concise description of concepts and definitions, uses, sources and limitations for indicators on wages (including minimum wages) and working time.
Labour Market-Related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG database)
Concise description of concepts and definitions, uses, sources and limitations for labour market-related sustainable development indicators.
Decent Work and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Guidebook on SDG Labour Market Indicators
This Guidebook provides a detailed overview of the labour market indicators included in the Sustainable Development Goals Global Indicator Framework. It is intended to serve as a manual of best practices for calculating and interpreting the SDG labour market indicators, with a view to monitoring progress made at the national and international levels towards the achievement of the SDGs.
Sources and Methods Volume 2: Establishment surveys (2012) – Employment, wages, hours of work and labour cost
This volume presents national methodological descriptions of establishment surveys from which statistics of employment, wages, hours of work and labour cost are obtained. It is a revised, enlarged and updated version of the second edition issued in 1995 and contains descriptions for 172 surveys in respect of 84 countries, areas and territories.
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.
Resolution concerning the measurement of employment-related income (including amendments)
Adopted by the 16th ICLS (1998), this resolution provides international guidelines on the measurement of income related to paid and self-employment in order to promote the development of these statistics along sound lines and improve their international comparability.
Resolution concerning an integrated system of wages statistics
Adopted by the 12th ICLS (1973), this resolution revises, broadens and integrates the prior standards in order to provide guidelines for the production of comprehensive and mutually consistent statistics of wages (including salaries) and the need to co-ordinate these statistics with other economic and social statistics.
Publications
Note: Many publications are available only in English. If available in other languages, a new page will open displaying these options.
Global Wage Report 2022-23: The impact of inflation and COVID-19 on wages and purchasing power
This ILO flagship report examines the evolution of real wages, giving a unique picture of wage trends globally and by region.
