Employment in APEC
APEC: Employment was 1.53 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in APEC, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in APEC is 1.53 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in APEC peaked at 1.53 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.17 million, in 1991.
That places APEC 7th out of 87 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in APEC, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.17 million | — |
| 1992 | 1.18 million | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.19 million | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 1.20 million | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 1.21 million | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 1.22 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 1.24 million | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 1.25 million | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 1.26 million | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.28 million | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 1.29 million | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 1.30 million | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 1.32 million | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.34 million | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.35 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 1.37 million | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.39 million | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 1.40 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.40 million | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.42 million | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 1.43 million | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 1.45 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 1.45 million | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 1.46 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.47 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.48 million | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.49 million | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.50 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.51 million | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.46 million | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 1.50 million | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 1.51 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.53 million | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 1.53 million | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 1.53 million | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.21 million | 1.17 million | 1.26 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.35 million | 1.28 million | 1.40 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.47 million | 1.42 million | 1.51 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.51 million | 1.46 million | 1.53 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near APEC
More work & labour data for APEC
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 906,140 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.86 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1.60 million (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2228 % change on previous year (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.54 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment (ILO modelled estimates) 1.53 million (2025)
- Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 63.86 (2027)
- NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training 13.08 (2027)
- NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training 50,992 (2027)
- NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (ILO modelled) 1.97 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in APEC?
- Employment in APEC was 1.53 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in APEC?
- The highest recorded value was 1.53 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in APEC?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.17 million in 1991.
- How does APEC rank for employment?
- APEC ranks 7th out of 87 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in APEC?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this APEC data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.