Employers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members
OECD members: Employers, total (% of total employment) was 3.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members stood at 3.5%.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members peaked at 4.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2020.
OECD members ranks 31st of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.5% | — |
| 1992 | 4.5% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 4.4% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 4.5% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 4.4% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 4.4% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 4.2% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 4.2% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 4.3% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 4.1% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 3.5% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 3.5% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More work & labour data for OECD members
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 53.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members was 3.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 4.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2020.
- How does OECD members rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- OECD members ranks 31st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).