This Spotlight compares output, unemployment, compensation, productivity, consumer prices, and other measures around the world.
read more » The International Labor Comparisons (ILC) program adjusts data to a common conceptual framework because direct comparisons of national statistics across countries can be misleading due to differing concepts and methods. ILC data are used to assess U.S. economic and labor market performance relative to that of other countries and to evaluate the competitive position of the United States in increasingly global markets.
Announcements
NEW Even though the International Labor Comparisons program has been discontinued, anyone interested in learning more about the methodology and underlying data used for the program can contact the BLS.
The BLS is aware of the following organization(s) that have obtained the methodology and intend to produce ILC indicators similar to those done previously by BLS:
The Conference Board
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or content, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server.
Data by indicator
Selected data by country
All Countries
Argentina |
Australia |
Austria |
Belgium |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
Czech Republic |
Denmark |
Estonia |
Finland |
France |
Germany |
Greece |
Hungary |
India |
Ireland |
Israel |
Italy |
Japan |
Korea, Republic of |
Mexico |
Netherlands |
New Zealand |
Norway |
Philippines |
Poland |
Portugal |
Singapore |
Slovakia |
South Africa |
Spain |
Sweden |
Switzerland |
Taiwan |
Turkey |
United Kingdom |
United States
Latest News Releases
- International Comparisons of Hourly Compensation Costs in Manufacturing, 2011 (HTML) (PDF)
- International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends, 2011 (HTML) (PDF)
Database
More Tools
- Series Report—Already know the series identifier for the statistic you want? Use this shortcut to retrieve your data.
- Text files (FTP)—Download a flat file of the entire database or large subset of the database.
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment
NOTE: Foreign-country data are adjusted to U.S. concepts unless otherwise noted.
Monthly unemployment rates and employment indexes, 2009-2013
Annual labor force statistics, 1970-2012
- Download entire report (HTML) (PDF)
- Technical Notes (PDF)
- Country Notes and Data Sources (PDF)
- Full series and underlying levels
Hourly Compensation Costs (Wages and Benefits)
In the Manufacturing Sector
In Sub-Manufacturing Industries
Productivity and Unit Labor Costs in Manufacturing
GDP per Capita and per Hour
Consumer Prices
Monthly and annual CPI and HICP
Manufacturing in China
Manufacturing in China (tables, charts, and data comparability) (HTML)
Publications
- China's employment and compensation costs in manufacturing through 2008 (PDF)
- China's manufacturing employment and compensation costs: 2002-06 (PDF)
- Labor costs of manufacturing employees in China: an update to 2003-04 (PDF)
- Manufacturing employment and compensation in China (revised November 2005), 1990-2002 (PDF)
The opinions, analysis, and conclusions expressed in this report are solely those of the author.
- Manufacturing earnings and compensation in China, 1990-2002 (PDF)
- Manufacturing employment in China, 1990-2002 (PDF)
Manufacturing in India
India's organized manufacturing sector (tables, charts, and data comparability) (HTML)
Publications
- Labor costs in India's organized manufacturing sector (PDF 1.2MB)
Latest Publications
- BLS Spotlight on Statistics: International Labor Comparisons
(HTML) (PDF)
- China's employment and compensation costs in manufacturing through 2008 (PDF)
- Compensation costs in manufacturing across industries and countries, 1975-2007 (PDF)
- Labor Costs in India's Organized Manufacturing Sector (PDF)
- A Portrait of the Youth Labor Market in 13 Countries, 1980-2007 (PDF)
- International Comparisons of Hours Worked: An Assessment of the Statistics (PDF)
- International Comparisons of Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices (PDF)
All ILC Monthly Labor Review Articles »
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is productivity?
- What does hourly compensation costs mean?
- What are other major sources of international labor statistics?
All ILC FAQs »
Contacts
General information:
Tel: (202) 691-5200
Email: Contact BLS
Send written inquiries to:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
International Labor Comparisons
Suite 2150
2 Massachusetts Ave., NE
Washington, DC 20212
Other BLS Programs
- Import/Export Price Indexes—monthly data on changes in the prices of imported and exported nonmilitary goods traded between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
- International Technical Cooperation—conducts training in labor statistics for international participants and coordinates international requests for BLS services including technical experts and short-term visits to BLS.
Other sources of international data
