Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 25.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste, 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 Timor-Leste is 25.1%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste peaked at 25.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 1991.
Timor-Leste ranks 159th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom 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 Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 18.3% | — |
| 1992 | 18.7% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 19.1% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 19.4% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 19.8% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 20.1% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 20.4% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 20.5% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 20.8% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 21.2% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 21.6% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 21.8% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 21.9% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 21.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 21.9% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 21.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 22.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 22.3% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 22.6% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 22.9% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 23.4% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 23.7% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 24.4% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 24.7% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 24.9% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 25.0% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 25.0% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 25.4% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 24.8% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 25.2% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 25.3% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 24.8% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 24.9% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 25.1% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.7% | 18.3% | 20.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 21.9% | 21.2% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.3% | 22.9% | 25.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.0% | 24.8% | 25.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
More work & labour data for Timor-Leste
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 667.78 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 321 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 67.53 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.18 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,687 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 3,450 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.22 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.77 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Timor-Leste was 25.1% 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 Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 1991.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Timor-Leste ranks 159th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Timor-Leste 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.