Employment-to-Population Ratio

The employment to population ratio, also called the employment rate, measures the share of a country's working age population, typically defined as ages fifteen to sixty four, that is currently employed. The International Labour Organization counts a person as employed if they did at least one hour of paid work in the most recent week, and national statistical agencies calculate the ratio by dividing the employed civilian population by the total population and multiplying by one hundred. Economists read the employment rate alongside the unemployment rate to judge the health of the labor market and an economy's capacity to generate jobs, though on its own it says nothing about hours worked, wages or working conditions.