The ILO and the G20

The ILO actively supports the G20 as a main forum for international economic cooperation. At the request of the G20, the ILO contributes data, analysis and policy recommendations on labour, economic and social issues. It contributes as a knowledge partner to a number of working groups.

Facts & Figures

G20 countries have increased their labour force participation to approximately 2.31 billions in 2023 - thanks to an additional 50 millions full-time jobs compared to 2022 (2.26 billions). This equals an employment to population ratio of approximately 58.4 per cent / labour force participation rate of 61.4 per cent. The female ratio has increased to 47.2 per cent (compared to 45.9 per cent in 2022) and remained with 69.4 per cent stable for men. This implies that the gender gap in the labour force participation rate stands at 23.7 percentage points in 2023, which is at similar level as in 2021 and 2020, and only a decrease in ca. 3 percentage points since 2010.
The unemployment rate dropped to 5.0 per cent (ca. 114 millions unemployed), from 5.1 per cent in 2022 and 5.9 per cent in 2021, and is below pre-pandemic levels of 5.7 per cent in 2019.
Close to 1.159 billion people were informally employed in G20 countries. While more men engaged in informal employment (727.8 millions vs. 420.8 millions), for both genders, the informality rate has not improved since 2019 and remains at approximately 48 per cent for women and 55 per cent for men.
However, about 221 millions or 9.2 per cent of the labour force is underutilized in 2023. In absolute figures more men than women (116 millions compared to 105 millions) were either unemployed, underemployed or not in employment but interested in working while existing conditions limit their active job search and/or their availability - in relative more women (10.6 per cent) than men (8.2 per cent) though. However, for both figures are lower than pre-pandemic ones in 2019.
The share of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET), which reached a peak of 29.2 per cent for women and 15.3 per cent for men in 2020, has decreased since then to 26.5 per cent for women and 12.9 per cent for men - the overall rate decreased to 18.9 per cent in 2023 compared to 21.9 per cent in 2020.