United Kingdom - Labor force, total

The value for Labor force, total in United Kingdom was 34,743,740 as of 2021. As the graph below shows, over the past 31 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 34,776,800 in 2019 and a minimum value of 28,774,400 in 1995.

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 29,239,610
1991 29,138,590
1992 29,056,650
1993 28,838,500
1994 28,803,330
1995 28,774,400
1996 28,903,670
1997 29,078,650
1998 29,151,320
1999 29,250,480
2000 29,521,080
2001 29,530,760
2002 29,851,880
2003 30,120,600
2004 30,375,090
2005 30,850,080
2006 31,344,490
2007 31,545,730
2008 31,947,240
2009 32,114,460
2010 32,288,000
2011 32,509,060
2012 32,814,010
2013 33,110,690
2014 33,393,580
2015 33,687,040
2016 34,032,100
2017 34,228,940
2018 34,511,970
2019 34,776,800
2020 34,749,410
2021 34,743,740

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