United States - Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate)

Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) in United States was 50.56 as of 2021. Its highest value over the past 61 years was 66.50 in 1979, while its lowest value was 44.93 in 2010.

Definition: Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed. Employment is defined as persons of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period (i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour) or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. Ages 15-24 are generally considered the youth population.

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in December 2019.

See also:

Year Value
1960 63.40
1961 61.40
1962 62.10
1963 60.80
1964 61.10
1965 62.40
1966 63.70
1967 63.90
1968 63.00
1969 63.40
1970 61.70
1971 60.70
1972 62.80
1973 65.70
1974 65.30
1975 60.40
1976 62.10
1977 64.20
1978 66.10
1979 66.50
1980 63.50
1981 62.20
1982 58.70
1983 59.20
1984 62.30
1985 62.70
1986 63.00
1987 63.20
1988 64.10
1989 64.70
1990 63.50
1991 60.30
1992 59.70
1993 60.10
1994 61.06
1995 61.54
1996 60.22
1997 60.30
1998 60.79
1999 61.02
2000 61.92
2001 59.37
2002 57.09
2003 55.33
2004 55.55
2005 55.15
2006 56.21
2007 54.43
2008 52.25
2009 46.70
2010 44.93
2011 45.99
2012 46.56
2013 46.94
2014 48.21
2015 49.00
2016 50.05
2017 50.80
2018 50.58
2019 51.28
2020 46.41
2021 50.56

Development Relevance: Four targets were added to the UN Millennium Declaration at the 2005 World Summit High-Level Plenary Meeting of the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly. One was full and productive employment and decent work for all, which is seen as the main route for people to escape poverty. Employment to population ratio is a key measure to monitor whether a country is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. And it continues to be a priority in the Sustainable Development Goal of promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Limitations and Exceptions: Data on employment by status are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. The labor force survey is the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable employment, but there are still some limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Comparability of employment ratios across countries is affected by variations in definitions of employment and population. The biggest difference results from the age range used to define labor force activity. The population base for employment ratios can also vary. Most countries use the resident, non-institutionalized population of working age living in private households, which excludes members of the armed forces and individuals residing in mental, penal, or other types of institutions. But some countries include members of the armed forces in the population base of their employment ratio while excluding them from employment data. The reference period of a census or survey is another important source of differences: in some countries data refer to people's status on the day of the census or survey or during a specific period before the inquiry date, while in others data are recorded without reference to any period. Employment ratios tend to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave. This indicator also has a gender bias because women who do not consider their work employment or who are not perceived as working tend to be undercounted. This bias has different effects across countries and reflects demographic, social, legal, and cultural trends and norms.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The employment to population ratio indicates how efficiently an economy provides jobs for people who want to work. A high ratio means that a large proportion of the population is employed. But a lower employment to population ratio can be seen as a positive sign, especially for young people, if it is caused by an increase in their education.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Classification

Topic: Labor & Social Protection Indicators

Sub-Topic: Economic activity