Estimating the World at Work

Abstract

What is the work status of the world's working-age population? This paper presents estimates of a breakdown on employment in services, industry, and agriculture - and unemployment - in the world and subgroups there of.

Addressing the question, What is the work status of the world's working-age population and subgroups thereof? Filmer gathers data for many countries and infers data where it is missing (which requires making heroic assumptions). The results are of course only as good as the data are representative and accurate. Data are least reliable for Sub-Saharan Africa.

The high-income group is dominated (in population) by the United States, Germany, and Japan, which account for 58 percent of that group's working-age population.

The middle-income group is dominated by Indonesia, the Russian Federation, and Brazil, which account for 40 percent of that group's working-age population.

The low-income group is dominated by China and India, which account for 70 percent of that group's working-page population.

Among other things, Filmer's charts and tables show the breakdown on working-age employment - in services, industry, agriculture - and unemployment in various parts of the world.

This paper - a product of the Office of the Vice President, Development Economics - was prepared as a background paper for World Development Report 1995 on labor.