Full-time and part-time employment in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Full-time and part-time employment was 24,921 Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising
Full-time and part-time employment in United Kingdom, 1983–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 24,921 Persons for full-time and part-time employment in 2025. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, full-time and part-time employment in United Kingdom peaked at 24,921 Persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 18,660 Persons, in 1983.
That places United Kingdom 8th out of 40 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Full-time and part-time employment in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Persons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 18,660 Persons | — |
| 1984 | 18,777 Persons | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 18,901 Persons | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 18,912 Persons | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 19,277 Persons | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 19,950 Persons | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 20,404 Persons | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 20,588 Persons | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 20,036 Persons | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 19,577 Persons | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 19,480 Persons | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 19,523 Persons | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 19,697 Persons | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 19,793 Persons | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 20,051 Persons | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 20,297 Persons | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 19,984 Persons | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 20,467 Persons | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 20,695 Persons | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 20,773 Persons | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 20,892 Persons | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 21,098 Persons | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 21,490 Persons | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 21,692 Persons | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 21,869 Persons | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 22,011 Persons | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 21,309 Persons | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 21,099 Persons | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 21,234 Persons | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 21,277 Persons | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 21,598 Persons | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 22,221 Persons | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 22,632 Persons | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 23,008 Persons | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 23,368 Persons | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 23,594 Persons | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 23,962 Persons | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 24,100 Persons | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 24,276 Persons | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 24,418 Persons | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 24,613 Persons | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 24,740 Persons | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 24,921 Persons | +0.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 24,921 Persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 4,043 Persons, 6.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 24,921 Persons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,857 Persons, 6.5× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19,269 Persons | 18,660 Persons | 20,404 Persons | 7 |
| 1990s | 19,903 Persons | 19,480 Persons | 20,588 Persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 21,230 Persons | 20,467 Persons | 22,011 Persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,399 Persons | 21,099 Persons | 23,962 Persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 24,511 Persons | 24,100 Persons | 24,921 Persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 5 Japan 48,630 Persons compare
- 6 Mexico 44,804 Persons compare
- 6 Poland 14,996 Persons compare
- 7 Germany 29,262 Persons compare
- 7 Netherlands 5,057 Persons compare
- 8 Lithuania 1,366 Persons compare
- 9 France 24,126 Persons compare
- 9 Slovenia 902.83 Persons compare
- 10 Colombia 20,845 Persons compare
- 10 Latvia 792.88 Persons compare
- 11 Estonia 573.16 Persons compare
- 11 Italy 20,126 Persons compare
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is full-time and part-time employment in United Kingdom?
- Full-time and part-time employment in United Kingdom was 24,921 Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest full-time and part-time employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 24,921 Persons in 2025.
- What is the lowest full-time and part-time employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,660 Persons in 1983.
- How does United Kingdom rank for full-time and part-time employment?
- United Kingdom ranks 8th out of 40 countries with data for 2025.
- Is full-time and part-time employment rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Full-time and part-time employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
This dataset contains data on full-time and part-time employment according to: a common definition of 30-usual weekly hours of work in the main job national definitions Data are broken down by professional status - employees, total employment - sex and standardised age groups (15-24, 25-54, 55+, total) In order to facilitate analysis and comparisons over time, historical data for OECD members have been provided over as long a period as possible, often even before a country became a member of the Organisation. Information on the membership dates of all OECD countries can be found at OECD Ratification Dates. For detailed information on labour force surveys for all countries please see LFS_NOTES_SOURCES.