Employment in Eastern Asia
Eastern Asia: Employment was 868,437 in 2025. β² Rising
Latest (2025)
868,437
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
12th
of 87 groups
All-time high
880,889
in 2021
All-time low
801,949
in 2000
Years of data
26
2000β2025
Employment in Eastern Asia, 2000β2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in Eastern Asia stood at 868,437.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Eastern Asia peaked at 880,889 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 801,949, in 2000.
That places Eastern Asia 12th out of 87 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 833,423 | 801,949 | 859,269 | 10 |
| 2010s | 874,603 | 864,278 | 879,595 | 10 |
| 2020s | 869,912 | 858,123 | 880,889 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eastern Asia
More work & labour data for Eastern Asia
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Both sexes 769,523 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Male 386,091 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Female 383,431 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Rural population 295,790 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Urban population 1.29 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0882 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Rural population, annual growth rate -2.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment - 13th 20.3% (2025)
- Unemployment rate, by sex and age - 13th ICLS 4.3% (2025)
- Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of) 8.36 score (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in Eastern Asia?
- Employment in Eastern Asia was 868,437 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Eastern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 880,889 in 2021.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Eastern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 801,949 in 2000.
- How does Eastern Asia rank for employment?
- Eastern Asia ranks 12th out of 87 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Eastern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eastern Asia 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.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 26 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).