Informal employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Informal employment was 19.5% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Informal employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2014–2018
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total non-agricultural employment.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 19.5%, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.8% on the previous year and up 33.1% over five years.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 15th out of 45 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
Informal employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of total non-agricultural employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 14.6% | — |
| 2015 | 15.0% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | +41.8% |
| 2018 | 19.5% | -13.8% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 19.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.7%, 4.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 19.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.7%, 4.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is informal employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Informal employment in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 19.5% in 2018, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 22.6% in 2017.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6% in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for informal employment?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th out of 45 countries with data for 2018.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Informal employment (% of total non-agricultural employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This indicator shows the share of workers at working age in informal employment in non-agricultural activities out of total employment in non-agricultural activities, expressed as a percentage. Informal employment comprises workers whose main or secondary jobs are informal. For own-account workers and employers, informality is determined by enterprise characteristics (unincorporated, market-based, and unregistered); for contributing family workers, it is determined by the absence of written contracts and lack of coverage under labor legislation; and for employees, it is determined by whether the employment relationship is not subject to national labor legislation, income taxation, or social protection. The data are based on the statistical standards adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS).