Employment in European Union 28
European Union 28: Employment was 242,261 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
242,261
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
32nd
of 85 groups
All-time high
243,408
in 2024
All-time low
205,689
in 2000
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Employment in European Union 28, 2000–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in European Union 28 is 242,261, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in European Union 28 peaked at 243,408 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 205,689, in 2000.
European Union 28 ranks 32nd of 85 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Employment in European Union 28, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 205,689 | — |
| 2001 | 207,643 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 208,741 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 210,598 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 211,968 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 214,771 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 218,624 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 222,504 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 224,971 | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 220,148 | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 219,753 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 220,150 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 219,632 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 219,316 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 221,529 | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 224,382 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 227,660 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 231,175 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 234,249 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 236,668 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 233,497 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 235,361 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 240,705 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 243,304 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 243,408 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 242,261 | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 214,566 | 205,689 | 224,971 | 10 |
| 2010s | 225,451 | 219,316 | 236,668 | 10 |
| 2020s | 239,756 | 233,497 | 243,408 | 6 |
Countries ranked near European Union 28
More work & labour data for European Union 28
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 57.21 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 254,923 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 190,645 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.68 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.16 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 121,951 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 82,196 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.96 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.8736 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.3826 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in European Union 28?
- Employment in European Union 28 was 242,261 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in European Union 28?
- The highest recorded value was 243,408 in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in European Union 28?
- The lowest recorded value was 205,689 in 2000.
- How does European Union 28 rank for employment?
- European Union 28 ranks 32nd out of 85 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in European Union 28?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union 28 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 · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).