Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members
OECD members: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 84.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
OECD members recorded 84.5% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members peaked at 84.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 79.5%, in 1991.
OECD members ranks 6th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 79.5% | — |
| 1992 | 79.5% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 79.6% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 79.7% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 80.0% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 80.2% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 80.2% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 80.7% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 81.1% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 81.5% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 81.7% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 81.7% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 81.9% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 82.1% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 82.4% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 82.7% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 82.8% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 82.5% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 82.5% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 82.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 82.9% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.1% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 83.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 83.6% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 83.7% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 83.9% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 84.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 83.8% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 84.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 84.4% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 84.5% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.1% | 79.5% | 81.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 82.1% | 81.5% | 82.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.2% | 82.5% | 83.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.2% | 83.8% | 84.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 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
- 9 Russian Federation 93.7% compare
More work & labour data for OECD members
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 53.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in OECD members was 84.5% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 84.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.5% in 1991.
- How does OECD members rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- OECD members ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members 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.