Potential labour force: ICLS13) … previous in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Potential labour force: ICLS13) … previous was 2,180 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in United Kingdom, 1998–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 2,180 for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.2% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in United Kingdom peaked at 2,569 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1,838, in 2022.
United Kingdom ranks 9th of 70 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Potential labour force: ICLS13) … previous in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2,569 | — |
| 1999 | 2,441 | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 2,448 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 2,317 | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 2,368 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 2,246 | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 2,116 | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 2,076 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 2,104 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2,149 | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 2,284 | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 2,398 | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 2,518 | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 2,462 | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 2,535 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 2,461 | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 2,456 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2,433 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 2,306 | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 2,177 | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 2,012 | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 1,907 | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 2,098 | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 2,006 | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 1,838 | -8.3% |
| 2023 | 1,884 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 1,977 | +4.9% |
| 2025 | 2,180 | +10.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 2,180 is above the median for high income countries, which is 181.54, 12.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 2,180 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 194.04, 11.2× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,505 | 2,441 | 2,569 | 2 |
| 2000s | 2,251 | 2,076 | 2,448 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,327 | 1,907 | 2,535 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,997 | 1,838 | 2,180 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
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 potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in United Kingdom?
- Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers in United Kingdom was 2,180 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2,569 in 1998.
- What is the lowest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,838 in 2022.
- How does United Kingdom rank for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 70 countries with data for 2025.
- Is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. 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 Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.