Labour · Europe & Central Asia · Upper-middle income
Moldova: the labour market
Labour force is 1.4m (2025), 137th of 187 in the world and 38th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 72.3% (2025), 25th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 72.3% (2025), 14th of 187 in the world and 1st of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Moldova
Participation rate
MoldovaEurope & Central AsiaUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Moldova in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 1.4m2025 | 137/187 | 38/49 | 1.3m | 1.5m | 1.5m | −16%since 2015 | 429m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 72.3%2025 | 25/187 | 2/49 | 59.9% | 63.4% | 69.7% | +2.1 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 72.3%2025 | 14/187 | 1/49 | 56.4% | 62.7% | 68.1% | +2.9 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 71.2%2025 | 20/187 | 2/49 | 54.8% | 61.5% | 68.8% | +2.2 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 1.5%2025 | 178/187 | 49/49 | 8.5% | 3.0% | 1.2% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 1.2%2025 | 180/187 | 49/49 | 7.3% | 2.2% | 1.0% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 4.2%2025 | 166/187 | 48/49 | 16.0% | 5.7% | 4.1% | +0.9 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 9.1%2025 | 145/170 | 30/46 | 24.8% | 19.5% | 15.6% | −6.7 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 41.2%2025 | 141/187 | 48/49 | 63.0% | 44.3% | 40.7% | +2.1 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 58.6%2025 | 43/187 | 1/49 | 36.5% | 55.3% | 59.1% | −1.9 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 50.5%2025 | 24/187 | 1/49 | 50.9% | 54.6% | 55.9% | −9.1 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 12.6%2025 | 157/187 | 48/49 | 13.9% | 11.7% | 12.2% | +2.0 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 36.9%2025 | 162/187 | 49/49 | 35.2% | 33.7% | 31.9% | +7.0 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+2.9 pp72.3% in 2025
- Employment rate+2.2 pp71.2% in 2025
- Unemployment−0.3 pp1.5% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.1 pp1.2% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Youth unemployment+0.9 pp4.2% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Moldova and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Moldova. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Moldova | Ukraine | Romania |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 1.4m2025 | 20.5m2021 | 8.2m2025 |
| Participation rate | 72.3%2025 | 54.6%2021 | 51.3%2025 |
| Women's participation | 72.3%2025 | 47.7%2021 | 41.8%2025 |
| Employment rate | 71.2%2025 | 49.3%2021 | 48.3%2025 |
| Unemployment | 1.5%2025 | 9.8%2021 | 6.0%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 1.2%2025 | 10.2%2021 | 5.6%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 4.2%2025 | 19.1%2021 | 24.5%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 9.1%2025 | 16.5%2017 | 16.5%2025 |
| Wage workers | 41.2%2025 | 79.0%2021 | 85.5%2025 |