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

Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) in United States was 49.67 as of 2021. Its highest value over the past 61 years was 57.70 in 1989, while its lowest value was 37.60 in 1963.

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 38.20
1961 37.90
1962 38.30
1963 37.60
1964 38.20
1965 39.20
1966 41.90
1967 43.00
1968 43.80
1969 45.80
1970 45.70
1971 44.70
1972 46.40
1973 48.80
1974 49.60
1975 48.30
1976 49.60
1977 51.20
1978 53.80
1979 54.80
1980 53.90
1981 53.30
1982 52.00
1983 52.20
1984 54.40
1985 55.40
1986 56.00
1987 57.10
1988 57.60
1989 57.70
1990 56.10
1991 54.00
1992 53.70
1993 54.30
1994 55.34
1995 55.13
1996 55.26
1997 56.05
1998 57.16
1999 56.96
2000 57.38
2001 56.04
2002 54.28
2003 52.47
2004 52.22
2005 52.64
2006 52.25
2007 51.80
2008 50.18
2009 47.01
2010 45.07
2011 44.90
2012 45.40
2013 46.03
2014 47.06
2015 48.20
2016 48.76
2017 49.88
2018 50.34
2019 51.10
2020 45.32
2021 49.67

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