Figure 2 Annual growth in working-age populations (by age group) and total labour force, 2000 - 2018 Concepts and definions The labour force represents the current supply of labour for the production of goods and services for pay or profit. The labour force is the sum of the employed and the unemployed. Employed : all persons of working age doing work for pay or profit. Unemployed : all persons of working age not in employment, but available for and seeking employment. The labour force participation rate presents the labour force expressed as a percentage of the working-age population. Figure 1 Composition of the world’s working-age population by labour market status, 2018 STATS SHEET n°1 : Labour Force Participation ILOSTAT Trends in the working-age population and labour force participation Though the labour force is growing in size, the labour force participation rate is falling because the working-age population is growing faster than the labour force. This global trend is mainly driven by the patterns observed in Asia and the Pacific. A growing working-age population coupled with a falling labour force participation rate implies that the number and prevalence of people outside the labour force is increasing. Another notable trend is the slow growth (or decline) in the number of young people (ages 15 to 24) entering the labour force each year. Since 2000, the youth labour force has consistently grown less than the total labour force, in all regions. This trend can be attributed to various factors, including declining youth populations and young people remaining in school for longer.