Share of temporary employees in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of temporary employees was 5.45 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of temporary employees in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1983–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, share of temporary employees in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 5.45.
That represents a change of up 5.9% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of temporary employees in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 7.27 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 5.14, in 2024.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 82nd out of 99 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Share of temporary employees in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 5.49 | — |
| 1984 | 6.12 | +11.5% |
| 1985 | 6.97 | +13.9% |
| 1986 | 6.99 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 6.21 | -11.1% |
| 1988 | 5.92 | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 5.32 | -10.2% |
| 1990 | 5.18 | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 5.27 | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 5.41 | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 5.72 | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 6.31 | +10.2% |
| 1995 | 6.85 | +8.5% |
| 1996 | 6.93 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 7.27 | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 6.95 | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 6.78 | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 6.74 | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 6.7 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 6.13 | -8.5% |
| 2003 | 5.84 | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 5.71 | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 5.76 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 5.86 | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 5.91 | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 5.48 | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 5.71 | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 6.17 | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 6.24 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 6.43 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 6.31 | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 6.49 | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 6.27 | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 6.17 | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 5.82 | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 5.66 | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 5.31 | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 5.41 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 5.53 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 5.88 | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 5.64 | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 5.14 | -8.9% |
| 2025 | 5.45 | +5.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.15 | 5.32 | 6.99 | 7 |
| 1990s | 6.27 | 5.18 | 7.27 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.99 | 5.48 | 6.74 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.09 | 5.31 | 6.49 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.51 | 5.14 | 5.88 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More gender data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 11,226 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.9161 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 335,907 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 353,938 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 340,922 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 359,075 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 343,706 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 361,989 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 347,350 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 365,727 (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of temporary employees in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Share of temporary employees in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 5.45 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest share of temporary employees recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.27 in 1997.
- What is the lowest share of temporary employees recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.14 in 2024.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for share of temporary employees?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 82nd out of 99 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of temporary employees rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Share of temporary employees. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This indicator represents temporary employment as a percentage of employees. Temporary employment, whereby workers are engaged only for a specific period of time, includes fixed-term, project- or task-based contracts, as well as seasonal or casual work, including day labour. There are wide differences in definitions used across countries, which should be kept in mind when making cross-country comparisons. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.