Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 949.25 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United Kingdom, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United Kingdom stood at 949.25.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.6% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United Kingdom peaked at 1,046 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 762.04, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 12th out of 61 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,046 | — |
| 2015 | 1,006 | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 948.47 | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 916.72 | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 857.52 | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 787.57 | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 965.97 | +22.7% |
| 2021 | 973.12 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 780.06 | -19.8% |
| 2023 | 762.04 | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 828.29 | +8.7% |
| 2025 | 949.25 | +14.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 927.04 | 787.57 | 1,046 | 6 |
| 2020s | 876.46 | 762.04 | 973.12 | 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)
- 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)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United Kingdom?
- Potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United Kingdom was 949.25 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1,046 in 2014.
- What is the lowest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 762.04 in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- United Kingdom ranks 12th out of 61 countries with data for 2025.
- Is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. 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 (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
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 includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The potential labour force refers to persons not in employment who express an interest in this form of work but for whom existing conditions limit their active job search and/or their availability. This group is used to calculate alternative measures of labour underutilization. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.