Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United States of America
United States of America: Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 163,493 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United States of America, 2003–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 163,493 for employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 23 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 (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States of America peaked at 163,493 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 137,736, in 2003.
United States of America ranks 2nd of 75 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 137,736 | — |
| 2004 | 139,252 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 141,730 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 144,427 | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 146,047 | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 145,362 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 139,877 | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 139,064 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 139,869 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 142,469 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 143,929 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 146,305 | +1.7% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 142,062 | 137,736 | 146,047 | 7 |
| 2010s | 147,854 | 139,064 | 157,538 | 10 |
| 2020s | 157,424 | 147,795 | 163,493 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More work & labour data for United States of America
- 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 (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States of America?
- Employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States of America was 163,493 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 163,493 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 137,736 in 2003.
- How does United States of America rank for employment (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- United States of America ranks 2nd out of 75 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in United States of America?
- 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 of America data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. 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 Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.