PG
Labour · East Asia & Pacific · Lower-middle income
Papua New Guinea: the labour market
Labour force is 3.7m (2025), 98th of 187 in the world and 15th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Participation rate is 52.1% (2025), 152nd of 187 in the world and 27th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Women's participation is 50.8% (2025), 115th of 187 in the world and 23rd of 29 in East Asia & Pacific.
Labour force
Papua New Guinea
Participation rate
Papua New GuineaEast Asia & PacificLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Papua New Guinea in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within East Asia & Pacific; 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 | 3.7m2025 | 98/187 | 15/29 | 1.6m | 2.3m | 3.3m | +35%since 2015 | 1.3bn | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 52.1%2025 | 152/187 | 27/29 | 48.5% | 48.3% | 51.0% | +2.3 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 50.8%2025 | 115/187 | 23/29 | 47.9% | 47.7% | 49.8% | +2.0 ppsince 2015 | 58.1% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 50.7%2025 | 137/187 | 25/29 | 47.1% | 47.4% | 49.5% | +2.2 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 2.6%2025 | 163/187 | 19/29 | 2.9% | 2.0% | 2.9% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 3.8% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 2.1%2025 | 171/187 | 22/29 | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.1% | +0.5 ppsince 2015 | 3.4% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 3.8%2025 | 172/187 | 25/29 | 5.3% | 3.6% | 4.6% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 12.5% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 27.7%2022 | 40/170 | 8/28 | · | 35.5% | 27.7%2022 | −7.8 ppsince 2010 | 15.3% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 21.3%2025 | 170/187 | 29/29 | 18.4% | 19.0% | 20.3% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 71.2%2025 | 26/187 | 2/29 | 74.4% | 73.8% | 72.2% | −1.7 ppsince 2015 | 35.3% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 36.9%2025 | 43/187 | 7/29 | 28.2% | 25.8% | 36.0% | +7.5 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 7.9%2025 | 175/187 | 26/29 | 7.9% | 7.5% | 7.6% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 28.5% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 55.3%2025 | 107/187 | 15/29 | 63.9% | 66.7% | 56.4% | −7.4 ppsince 2015 | 49.9% | 37.8% | 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+2.0 pp50.8% in 2025
- Employment rate+2.2 pp50.7% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−0.5 pp3.8% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−7.8 pp27.7% in 2022
Worse than ten years ago
- Unemployment+0.1 pp2.6% in 2025
- Female unemployment+0.5 pp2.1% 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
Papua New Guinea and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Papua New Guinea. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Papua New Guinea | Indonesia | Australia | Solomon Islands | Micronesia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 3.7m2025 | 147m2025 | 15.1m2025 | 448,5022025 | — |
| Participation rate | 52.1%2025 | 68.0%2025 | 66.5%2025 | 84.3%2025 | — |
| Women's participation | 50.8%2025 | 53.7%2025 | 62.5%2025 | 82.3%2025 | — |
| Employment rate | 50.7%2025 | 65.8%2025 | 63.8%2025 | 83.1%2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 2.6%2025 | 3.2%2025 | 4.1%2025 | 1.4%2025 | — |
| Female unemployment | 2.1%2025 | 3.0%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 1.4%2025 | — |
| Youth unemployment | 3.8%2025 | 13.0%2025 | 9.6%2025 | 2.8%2025 | — |
| Youth NEET rate | 27.7%2022 | 21.6%2023 | 8.4%2025 | 7.0%2013 | 28.7%2014 |
| Wage workers | 21.3%2025 | 46.7%2025 | 83.9%2025 | 30.1%2025 | — |