Employed population

The employed population refers to the total number of people of any age who are currently in work (defined as having worked at least one hour in the reference week). This may include people who are: employed in a traditional waged role; self-employed; or unpaid staff working for family-owned businesses. This indicator provides a baseline figure which we can use to derive important insights into the operation of the labour market: for example, by looking at how employment is shared out between men and women, or the extent to which people in work display higher levels of educational attainment over time. Looking at the total number of people employed by each sector allows us to draw conclusions about the types of economic activities that a country is engaged in, and how this has changed over the years. Similarly, by looking at the total number of people employed by occupation or level of education, we can develop an insight into the skills currently at work in the labour market. This type of information can be valuable to policymakers and researchers with an interest in the current state of employment in an economy – and how this employment landscape is changing over time Note: All estimations are Skills Panorama Team own calculations based on Eurostat data.