Work plays a central role in our lives and in our social identity. It not only represents a means to achieve economic independence, but is also a source of personal fulfillment and social inclusion.
Several structural shifts are currently reshaping the world of work. Let’s explore the trends that are creating a paradigm shift for both people and organisations:
The transformation of work and workforce give us an opportunity to build a future that works for all of us.
But what work do we want?
The World Employment Confederation, in partnership with FT Longitude, surveyed senior executives from around the world to shed light on the scale of the challenges for how we work and how organisations manage talent.
Explore these drivers of change – and how employers can respond – in our research.
11.7%
of labour force (2019, own calculations based on ILO figures)
14.3%
(2022, OECD)
173 million
(2023, Estimate)
39.7%
of labour force (2022, ILO)
46.9%
of population covered by at least one social protection benefit (2020, ILO)
1.3%
(2023, ILO)
52%
of total employment (2022, World Bank)
48%
of total employment (2022, World Bank)
85%
of total employment (2022, OECD)
15%
of total employment (2022, OECD)
11.2%
of total dependent employment (2022, OECD)
88.8%
of total dependent employment (2022, OECD)
3.63 billion
(2023, World Bank)
5.8%
of labour force (2023, World Bank)
2.1%
Annual percentage change (2021, own calculations based on World Bank figures, own calculations)
2.4%
Annual percentage change of number of employed of 15 years and older (2023, Conference Board)
0.71%
Annual percentage change of output per worker, international dollar, PPP (2023, own calculations based on Conference Board figures)
58%
of total employment, including agriculture (2016, ILO
11.7%
of labour force (2019, own calculations based on ILO figures)
14.3%
(2022, OECD)
173 million
(2023, Estimate)
39.7%
of labour force (2022, ILO)
46.9%
of population covered by at least one social protection benefit (2020, ILO)
1.3%
(2023, ILO)
52%
of total employment (2022, World Bank)
48%
of total employment (2022, World Bank)
85%
of total employment (2022, OECD)
15%
of total employment (2022, OECD)
11.2%
of total dependent employment (2022, OECD)
88.8%
of total dependent employment (2022, OECD)
3.63 billion
(2023, World Bank)
5.8%
of labour force (2023, World Bank)
2.1%
Annual percentage change (2021, own calculations based on World Bank figures, own calculations)
2.4%
Annual percentage change of number of employed of 15 years and older (2023, Conference Board)
0.71%
Annual percentage change of output per worker, international dollar, PPP (2023, own calculations based on Conference Board figures)
58%
of total employment, including agriculture (2016, ILO
11.7%
of labour force (2019, own calculations based on ILO figures)
14.3%
(2022, OECD)
173 million
(2023, Estimate)
39.7%
of labour force (2022, ILO)
46.9%
of population covered by at least one social protection benefit (2020, ILO)
1.3%
(2023, ILO)
The private employment industry is a key actor on labour markets and tracking the trends and developments of their various components is of great importance for the World Employment Confederation. We have developed a series of tools offering an overview of the latest statistics on some of the most relevant labour market indicators at national, regional and global level.
For more specific data related to the private employment services industry, check out our own publications.
Every quarter, the World Employment Confederation compiles the latest data about staffing activity, the economy and labour markets and brings them all in one place: the “Labour Market Intelligence Insights”.
Check out the latest edition. It’s a goldmine of data!
You can also subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every quarter.
This interactive research tool allows users to track employment indicators across European countries, based on Eurostat data and statistics on the Agency Work sector provided by the WEC’s members. The Barometer also demonstrates correlations between trends in the Agency Work sector and other employment indicators as well as GDP. It is jointly developed by the World Employment Confederation and Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) and it is updated on a quarterly basis.
The Online Labour Market GPS is a powerful, AI-based tool to analyse the online staffing market. Based on official statistical data and online job vacancies, it offers data at global, regional, national and industryas well as a deep dive on occupations and skills.
Access to the Online Labour Market GPS is an exclusive benefit of WEC membership.