Employers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Employers, total (% of total employment) was 16.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste stood at 16.2%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste peaked at 18.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 16.2%, in 2025.
Timor-Leste ranks 3rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 18.3% | — |
| 1992 | 18.3% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 18.3% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 18.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 18.0% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 17.9% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 17.8% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 17.6% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 17.5% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 17.5% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 17.4% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 17.3% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 17.2% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 17.1% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 17.1% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 17.1% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 17.1% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 17.1% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 17.2% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 17.2% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 17.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 17.3% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 17.1% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 17.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 17.5% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 17.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 17.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 17.4% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 16.4% | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 16.3% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 16.2% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.0% | 17.5% | 18.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 17.2% | 17.1% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.2% | 17.1% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 16.2% | 17.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
- 1 Djibouti 20.8% compare
- 2 Nigeria 19.7% compare
- 4 Azerbaijan 13.1% compare
- 5 Uzbekistan 12.1% compare
- 6 Honduras 10.2% compare
More work & labour data for Timor-Leste
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 67.53 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 321 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 667.78 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,687 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 3,450 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.34 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.18 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.22 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.77 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste was 16.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 1993.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.2% in 2025.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Timor-Leste ranks 3rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Timor-Leste 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).