Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in European Union
European Union: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 85.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in European Union, 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 European Union is 85.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in European Union peaked at 85.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 80.3%, in 1994.
That places European Union 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in European Union, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 81.0% | — |
| 1992 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 80.5% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 80.3% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 80.4% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 80.4% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 80.5% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 80.6% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 80.9% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 81.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 81.3% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 81.8% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 81.8% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 81.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 82.1% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 82.2% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 82.6% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 83.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 83.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 82.8% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 83.0% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 83.1% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 83.3% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.4% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 83.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 84.1% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 84.4% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 84.7% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 84.9% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 84.8% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 85.1% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 85.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 85.6% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 85.7% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 85.8% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.6% | 80.3% | 81.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 82.1% | 81.2% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.8% | 82.8% | 84.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.4% | 84.8% | 85.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 2 Bahrain 97.6% compare
- 3 Kuwait 96.8% compare
- 4 Norway 95.1% compare
- 5 Oman 95.0% compare
- 6 United Arab Emirates 94.9% compare
- 7 Saudi Arabia 94.5% compare
- 8 United States of America 93.9% compare
More work & labour data for European Union
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 38.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 43.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 40.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 70.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 75.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 81.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 57.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 63.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in European Union?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in European Union was 85.8% 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 European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 85.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.3% in 1994.
- How does European Union rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- European Union ranks 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union 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.