Potential labour force rate in Northern America
Northern America: Potential labour force rate was 0.826 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Potential labour force rate in Northern America, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for potential labour force rate in Northern America is 0.826, measured in 2027.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force rate in Northern America peaked at 1.37 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.8, in 2025.
That places Northern America 86th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Potential labour force rate in Northern America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 0.999 | — |
| 2005 | 0.983 | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.923 | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 0.875 | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 0.954 | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 1.23 | +29.4% |
| 2010 | 1.35 | +9.3% |
| 2011 | 1.36 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.37 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 1.29 | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 1.24 | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 1.12 | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 1.05 | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 0.932 | -11.0% |
| 2018 | 0.872 | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 0.813 | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 1.09 | +33.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 0.889 | -11.4% |
| 2023 | 0.838 | -5.7% |
| 2024 | 0.903 | +7.8% |
| 2025 | 0.8 | -11.4% |
| 2026 | 0.83 | +3.7% |
| 2027 | 0.826 | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.9947 | 0.875 | 1.23 | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.14 | 0.813 | 1.37 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8969 | 0.8 | 1.09 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Northern America
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 242,481 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1584 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1665 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1499 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.33 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6023 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 386,690 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 474,966 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 232,485 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 47,965 1000 No (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force rate in Northern America?
- Potential labour force rate in Northern America was 0.826 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force rate recorded in Northern America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.37 in 2012.
- What is the lowest potential labour force rate recorded in Northern America?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8 in 2025.
- How does Northern America rank for potential labour force rate?
- Northern America ranks 86th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is potential labour force rate rising or falling in Northern America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Northern America data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Potential labour force rate (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
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 rate is the potential labour force as a percent of the extended labour force. 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. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.