European Union - Labor force, total

The value for Labor force, total in European Union was 216,917,100 as of 2021. As the graph below shows, over the past 31 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 217,762,600 in 2019 and a minimum value of 191,442,700 in 1990.

Definition: Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.

Source: Derived using data from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database and World Bank population estimates. Labor data retrieved in September 2019.

See also:

Year Value
1990 191,442,700
1991 193,930,000
1992 194,078,800
1993 193,985,700
1994 194,162,700
1995 193,968,600
1996 194,340,200
1997 195,268,100
1998 196,724,400
1999 198,313,100
2000 199,283,900
2001 199,576,800
2002 200,294,400
2003 201,976,500
2004 203,195,700
2005 205,554,800
2006 207,351,300
2007 208,902,100
2008 210,642,400
2009 211,233,300
2010 211,608,400
2011 211,140,500
2012 212,522,500
2013 213,089,900
2014 213,794,300
2015 214,110,200
2016 215,341,100
2017 216,459,600
2018 217,058,400
2019 217,762,600
2020 215,603,800
2021 216,917,100

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The labor force is the supply of labor available for producing goods and services in an economy. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave. Data are generated with World Bank population estimates and ILO estimates on labor force participation rate. The ILO estimates are harmonized to ensure comparability across countries and over time by accounting for differences in data source, scope of coverage, methodology, and other country-specific factors. The estimates are based mainly on nationally representative labor force surveys, with other sources (population censuses and nationally reported estimates) used only when no survey data are available.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Classification

Topic: Labor & Social Protection Indicators

Sub-Topic: Labor force structure