Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 61.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
East Asia & Pacific recorded 61.0% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 61.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 44.0%, in 1991.
East Asia & Pacific ranks 21st of 47 groups on this measure, 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, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 44.0% | — |
| 1992 | 44.5% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 45.2% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 45.7% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 46.3% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 46.9% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 47.5% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 47.7% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 48.0% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 48.4% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 49.3% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 49.7% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 50.1% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 51.0% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 51.8% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 52.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 52.9% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 53.6% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 54.1% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 54.8% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 55.4% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 56.1% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 56.7% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 57.3% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 58.1% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 58.6% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 59.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 59.3% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 59.7% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 59.6% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 59.8% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 60.1% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 60.3% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 60.6% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 61.0% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.2% | 44.0% | 48.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 51.3% | 48.4% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.5% | 54.8% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.2% | 59.6% | 61.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More work & labour data for East Asia & Pacific
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 67.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 46.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 49.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 65.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 58.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 80.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in East Asia & Pacific was 61.0% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 61.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.0% in 1991.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 21st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.