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Labour · East Asia & Pacific · Lower-middle income
Timor-Leste: the labour market
Labour force is 635,489 (2025), 156th of 187 in the world and 19th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Participation rate is 67.0% (2025), 46th of 187 in the world and 9th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Women's participation is 61.7% (2025), 41st of 187 in the world and 9th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific.
Labour force
Timor-Leste
Participation rate
Timor-LesteEast Asia & PacificLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Timor-Leste 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 | 635,4892025 | 156/187 | 19/29 | 298,005 | 428,797 | 559,412 | +30%since 2015 | 1.3bn | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 67.0%2025 | 46/187 | 9/29 | 69.7% | 67.7% | 65.9% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 61.7%2025 | 41/187 | 9/29 | 64.2% | 61.9% | 60.5% | +0.4 ppsince 2015 | 58.1% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 65.9%2025 | 34/187 | 9/29 | 67.2% | 65.4% | 64.1% | +1.5 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 1.6%2025 | 174/187 | 24/29 | 3.5% | 3.3% | 2.8% | −2.1 ppsince 2015 | 3.8% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 1.6%2025 | 176/187 | 24/29 | 4.3% | 4.0% | 3.6% | −1.4 ppsince 2015 | 3.4% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 3.7%2025 | 174/187 | 26/29 | 10.3% | 9.3% | 6.8% | −4.9 ppsince 2015 | 12.5% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 29.1%2022 | 34/170 | 7/28 | · | 19.0% | 31.2%2021 | +10.1 ppsince 2010 | 15.3% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 25.1%2025 | 159/187 | 27/29 | 21.2% | 22.9% | 24.8% | +0.5 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 58.6%2025 | 42/187 | 5/29 | 61.3% | 60.0% | 57.6% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 35.3% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 46.0%2025 | 27/187 | 3/29 | 54.5% | 50.8% | 39.4% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 3.8%2025 | 185/187 | 29/29 | 8.9% | 9.3% | 11.9% | −8.6 ppsince 2015 | 28.5% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 50.2%2025 | 127/187 | 18/29 | 36.6% | 39.9% | 48.8% | +8.0 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+0.4 pp61.7% in 2025
- Employment rate+1.5 pp65.9% in 2025
- Unemployment−2.1 pp1.6% in 2025
- Female unemployment−1.4 pp1.6% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Youth NEET rate+10.1 pp29.1% in 2022
- Vulnerable employment+0.6 pp58.6% 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
Timor-Leste and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Timor-Leste. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Timor-Leste | Indonesia | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 635,4892025 | 147m2025 | 15.1m2025 |
| Participation rate | 67.0%2025 | 68.0%2025 | 66.5%2025 |
| Women's participation | 61.7%2025 | 53.7%2025 | 62.5%2025 |
| Employment rate | 65.9%2025 | 65.8%2025 | 63.8%2025 |
| Unemployment | 1.6%2025 | 3.2%2025 | 4.1%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 1.6%2025 | 3.0%2025 | 4.0%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 3.7%2025 | 13.0%2025 | 9.6%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 29.1%2022 | 21.6%2023 | 8.4%2025 |
| Wage workers | 25.1%2025 | 46.7%2025 | 83.9%2025 |