Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United States
United States: Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 1,732 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United States, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States stood at 1,732.
The figure is up 10.2% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States peaked at 2,058 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1,381, in 2019.
United States ranks 5th of 61 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2,058 | — |
| 2015 | 1,871 | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 1,752 | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 1,573 | -10.3% |
| 2018 | 1,481 | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 1,381 | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 1,786 | +29.3% |
| 2021 | 1,686 | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 1,538 | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 1,465 | -4.7% |
| 2024 | 1,571 | +7.2% |
| 2025 | 1,732 | +10.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1,686 | 1,381 | 2,058 | 6 |
| 2020s | 1,630 | 1,465 | 1,786 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % 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+) 61.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States?
- Potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in United States was 1,732 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2,058 in 2014.
- What is the lowest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,381 in 2019.
- How does United States rank for potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- United States ranks 5th out of 61 countries with data for 2025.
- Is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.
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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 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.