Employment in China (People’s Republic of)

China (People’s Republic of): Employment was 740,410 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
740,410
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
1st
of 174 countries
All-time high
774,510
in 2015
All-time low
207,290
in 1952
Years of data
52
1952–2023

Employment in China (People’s Republic of), 1952–2023

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k195219872023

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for employment in China (People’s Republic of) is 740,410, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 774,510 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 207,290, in 1952.

China (People’s Republic of) ranks 1st of 174 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 222,500 207,290 237,710 2
1960s 272,900 259,100 286,700 2
1970s 384,440 344,320 410,240 4
1980s 489,615 423,610 553,290 10
1990s 678,681 639,090 713,940 10
2000s 734,894 644,785 758,280 10
2010s 764,442 754,470 774,510 10
2020s 742,770 733,510 750,640 4

Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)

  1. 2 India 476,557 compare
  2. 3 United States 163,493 compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 139,242 compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More work & labour data for China (People’s Republic of)

All data for China (People’s Republic of) →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment in China (People’s Republic of)?
Employment in China (People’s Republic of) was 740,410 in 2023, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest employment recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The highest recorded value was 774,510 in 2015.
What is the lowest employment recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The lowest recorded value was 207,290 in 1952.
How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for employment?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 1st out of 174 countries with data for 2023.
Is employment rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment in China (People’s Republic of). Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employment-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
261 places, 6,860 data points, 1947–2026
Last refreshed