Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Australia
Australia: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 9.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Australia, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 9.1% for share of workers in vulnerable employment in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Australia peaked at 12.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 2025.
That places Australia 156th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.7% | 12.6% | 12.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.5% | 9.5% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 9.8% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.4% | 9.1% | 9.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More work & labour data for Australia
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 70.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 70.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 70.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 77.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 70.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Australia?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Australia was 9.1% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 2025.
- How does Australia rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Australia ranks 156th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).