Employment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United States
United States: Employment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 163,493 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United States, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States is 163,493, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States peaked at 163,493 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 146,305, in 2014.
United States ranks 1st of 71 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Employment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 146,305 | — |
| 2015 | 148,834 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 151,436 | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 153,337 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 155,761 | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 157,538 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 147,795 | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 152,581 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 158,291 | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 161,037 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 161,346 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 163,493 | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 152,202 | 146,305 | 157,538 | 6 |
| 2020s | 157,424 | 147,795 | 163,493 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States?
- Employment (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States was 163,493 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 163,493 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 146,305 in 2014.
- How does United States rank for employment (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- United States ranks 1st out of 71 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. Persons in employment are defined as all those of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit. They comprise employed persons who worked in a job for at least one hour and employed persons not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.