Strictness of employment: Individual and collective in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Strictness of employment: Individual and collective was 1.35 0-6 scale in 2025. ▬ Flat
Strictness of employment protection — Individual and collective in United Kingdom, 1985–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in 0-6 scale.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1.35 0-6 scale for strictness of employment protection — individual and collective in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, strictness of employment protection — individual and collective in United Kingdom peaked at 1.51 0-6 scale in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.35 0-6 scale, in 1985.
That places United Kingdom 35th out of 41 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Strictness of employment: Individual and collective in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | 0-6 scale | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.35 0-6 scale | — |
| 1986 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +12.4% |
| 2001 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.51 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.35 0-6 scale | -11.0% |
| 2014 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1.35 0-6 scale | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1.35 0-6 scale is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.91 0-6 scale, 70% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1.35 0-6 scale is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.16 0-6 scale, 62% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.35 0-6 scale | 1.35 0-6 scale | 1.35 0-6 scale | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.35 0-6 scale | 1.35 0-6 scale | 1.35 0-6 scale | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.51 0-6 scale | 1.51 0-6 scale | 1.51 0-6 scale | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4 0-6 scale | 1.35 0-6 scale | 1.51 0-6 scale | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.35 0-6 scale | 1.35 0-6 scale | 1.35 0-6 scale | 6 |
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 strictness of employment protection — individual and collective in United Kingdom?
- Strictness of employment protection — individual and collective in United Kingdom was 1.35 0-6 scale in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest strictness of employment protection — individual and collective recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1.51 0-6 scale in 2000.
- What is the lowest strictness of employment protection — individual and collective recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.35 0-6 scale in 1985.
- How does United Kingdom rank for strictness of employment protection — individual and collective?
- United Kingdom ranks 35th out of 41 countries with data for 2025.
- Is strictness of employment protection — individual and collective rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Strictness of employment protection — Individual and collective dismissals (regular contracts). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
The OECD indicators of employment protection are synthetic indicators of the strictness of regulation on dismissals and the use of temporary contracts. For each year, indicators refer to regulation in force on the 1st of January. For more information and full methodology, see OECD Indicators of Employment Protection webpage Last data update: May 2022 OECD statistics contact: ELS.Contact@oecd.org