Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in MENA

MENA: Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers was 20,738 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
20,738
Change on year
up 1.5%
Rank
32nd
of 87 groups
All-time high
20,787
in 2020
All-time low
14,463
in 2004
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in MENA, 2004–2027

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2004201520272004: 14.5k2005: 14.7k2006: 14.6k2007: 15.1k2008: 15.1k2009: 15.3k2010: 15.9k2011: 16.5k2012: 17.1k2013: 17.2k2014: 17.7k2015: 18.7k2016: 18.9k2017: 19.3k2018: 19.1k2019: 19.1k2020: 20.8k2021: 20.0k2022: 19.3k2023: 19.0k2024: 19.7k2025: 20.0k2026: 20.4k2027: 20.7k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

MENA recorded 20,738 for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in 2027.

That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in MENA peaked at 20,787 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14,463, in 2004.

That places MENA 32nd out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in MENA, year by year

Annual values for Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (ILO modelled estimates) in MENA, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 14,463
2005 14,698 +1.6%
2006 14,623 -0.5%
2007 15,051 +2.9%
2008 15,078 +0.2%
2009 15,330 +1.7%
2010 15,862 +3.5%
2011 16,541 +4.3%
2012 17,128 +3.5%
2013 17,234 +0.6%
2014 17,724 +2.8%
2015 18,719 +5.6%
2016 18,926 +1.1%
2017 19,308 +2.0%
2018 19,097 -1.1%
2019 19,098 +0.0%
2020 20,787 +8.8%
2021 20,044 -3.6%
2022 19,341 -3.5%
2023 19,024 -1.6%
2024 19,658 +3.3%
2025 20,033 +1.9%
2026 20,425 +2.0%
2027 20,738 +1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 14,874 14,463 15,330 6
2010s 17,964 15,862 19,308 10
2020s 20,006 19,024 20,787 8

More work & labour data for MENA

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Frequently asked questions

What is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in MENA?
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in MENA was 20,738 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers recorded in MENA?
The highest recorded value was 20,787 in 2020.
What is the lowest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers recorded in MENA?
The lowest recorded value was 14,463 in 2004.
How does MENA rank for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers?
MENA ranks 32nd out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rising or falling in MENA?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this MENA data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in MENA. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-and-willing-non-jobseekers-ilo-modelled-estimates/mena/

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About this data

Indicator
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers includes those who have been recently searching for a job but are not available to work within a short reference period, those who have not searched recently for a job, but they are available to work within a short reference period, and finally those who do not fall in neither of the previous categories but that wanted employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.