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
In 2027, potential labour force rate in Northern America stood at 0.826.
Compared with earlier readings it 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 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 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 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 Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.