Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 57.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) is 57.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 57.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 1991.
That places East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 23rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 40.1% | — |
| 1992 | 40.5% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 41.2% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 41.7% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 42.3% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 43.0% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 43.6% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 43.9% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 44.3% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 44.7% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 45.7% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 46.1% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 46.6% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 47.6% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 48.4% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 49.0% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 49.5% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 50.2% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 50.9% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 52.3% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 53.0% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 53.6% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 54.2% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 55.1% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 55.6% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 56.1% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 56.3% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 56.7% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 56.4% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 56.8% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 57.0% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 57.2% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 57.6% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 57.9% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.3% | 40.1% | 44.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 47.9% | 44.7% | 50.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.4% | 51.5% | 56.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.1% | 56.4% | 57.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
More work & labour data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 46.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 65.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 72.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 58.3% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 80.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 57.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 57.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 1991.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 23rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.