Public employment in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Public employment was 32,576 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Public employment in United Kingdom, 2011–2024
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2024, public employment in United Kingdom stood at 32,576.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public employment in United Kingdom peaked at 33,589 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 29,345, in 2011.
That places United Kingdom 5th out of 47 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Public employment in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 29,345 | — |
| 2012 | 29,744 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 29,994 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 30,702 | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 31,188 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 31,779 | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 32,133 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 32,408 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 32,777 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 33,589 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 33,275 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 32,912 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 32,521 | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 32,576 | +0.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 32,576 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,043, 10.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 32,576 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,278, 9.9× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 31,119 | 29,345 | 32,777 | 9 |
| 2020s | 32,975 | 32,521 | 33,589 | 5 |
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 public employment in United Kingdom?
- Public employment in United Kingdom was 32,576 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest public employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 33,589 in 2020.
- What is the lowest public employment recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 29,345 in 2011.
- How does United Kingdom rank for public employment?
- United Kingdom ranks 5th out of 47 countries with data for 2024.
- Is public employment rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Public employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 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 total public sector employment covers all employment of general government sector as defined in System of National Accounts 1993 plus employment of publicly owned enterprises and companies, resident and operating at central, state (or regional) and local levels of government. It covers all persons employed directly by those institutions, without regard for the particular type of employment contract. See the working paper: Statistics on Public Sector Employment: Methodology, Structures and Trends. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.