Employment level in Russia by year: statistics since 2000 and charts
· Labour resources, employment and unemployment
The employment rate of the population aged 15–72 in 2025 was 67.7%. This is the highest level in the entire observation history: in 2000 the indicator was 58.5%. There were 74.3 million employed people in the country with a labour force of 76.0 million. Rosstat data, sample labour force survey.
The employment rate does not indicate the same thing as the unemployment rate and changes according to a different logic. Below are the full series since 2000, a regional breakdown, an explanation of the methodology and interactive charts.
Employment rate by year: table
Share of employed in the population aged 15–72, percent.
| Year | Employment rate, % | Employed, thousand people | Labour force, thousand people |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 58.5 | 65,070 | 72,770 |
| 2005 | 61.3 | 68,339 | 73,581 |
| 2008 | 63.2 | 71,003 | 75,700 |
| 2009 | 62.0 | 69,410 | 75,694 |
| 2013 | 64.8 | 71,475 | 75,616 |
| 2016 | 65.6 | 72,684 | 76,933 |
| 2019 | 64.7 | 72,227 | 75,711 |
| 2020 | 63.4 | 70,977 | 75,322 |
| 2021 | 64.6 | 72,177 | 75,843 |
| 2023 | 66.3 | 73,533 | 75,930 |
| 2024 | 67.2 | 74,061 | 75,975 |
| 2025 | 67.7 | 74,302 | 75,981 |
The series shows three downturns: the year 2009, the years 2019–2020 and a slight dip in 2017. The first two are explained by crises, while the reason for the third is milder: in those years the working‑age population included small cohorts born in the late nineties, and the denominator changed faster than the numerator.
Since 2021 the indicator has been rising continuously and has set a new record three times in a row. The full series for all regions is available in the dataset on the website.
Employment and Unemployment: What Is the Difference
The indicators are calculated from different denominators, and confusion here is common.
Employment rate is the share of employed people in the total population aged 15–72, including students, retirees and housewives.
Unemployment rate is the share of unemployed people in the labour force, i.e., only among those who are working or actively looking for work. People outside the labour force are not counted.
From this follows a non‑obvious fact: employment can rise while unemployment stays unchanged and vice versa. In 2025 there were 1.7 million unemployed out of a labour force of 76.0 million, i.e., 2.2%, and the employment rate was 67.7%. Both indicators were at historical extremes simultaneously, which is a rare situation.
Number of Employed and Labour Force Size
Absolute numbers tell a different story than percentages. The employed in 2025 were 74.3 million versus 65.1 million in 2000: an increase of 9.2 million people. The labour force over the same period grew by only 3.2 million, from 72.8 to 76.0 million, and since 2016 it has basically been flat.
The labour force has hit a demographic ceiling: there are no more people of working age. Further growth in employment is now possible only by involving those currently outside the labour force and by shifting pension age boundaries. Both resources are limited.
Regions: where employment is higher and lower
Employment rate of the population aged 15–72, 2025, percent.
Leaders:
| Region | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Sakhalin Oblast | 76.1 |
| Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 75.9 |
| Magadan Oblast | 75.5 |
| Saint Petersburg | 74.9 |
| Chukotka Autonomous Okrug | 74.7 |
| Moscow | 73.6 |
| Kamchatka Krai | 73.6 |
Trailing:
| Region | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Karachay-Cherkess Republic | 60.7 |
| Republic of North Ossetia | 58.8 |
| Chechen Republic | 58.2 |
| Altai Republic | 57.5 |
| Republic of Dagestan | 57.1 |
| Republic of Adygea | 56.0 |
| Tuva Republic | 54.5 |
| Republic of Ingushetia | 53.5 |
At the top of the list are resource‑rich and capital regions: there are many jobs and many working‑age migrants. At the bottom are republics with a young age structure: a large share of the population aged 15–72 consists of students and young mothers, and there are few jobs. The gap between Sakhalin and Ingushetia is 22.6 points.
Questions and Answers
What is the employment level in Russia in 2025?
67.7% of the population aged 15–72. This is a historic maximum for Russia; the previous record of 65.6% stood since 2016.
How many people work in Russia?
74.3 million employed in 2025. The figure includes wage employees, self‑employed, individual entrepreneurs and workers in family enterprises.
Why is the employment level rising while the population is not?
Employment rises due to two factors: the increase in retirement age, which keeps older people in the labour market, and the involvement of those who previously did not look for work. The size of the population itself aged 15–72 is decreasing.
How is the employment level measured?
Through a sample labour force survey: Rosstat monthly interviews about 70 thousand households. A person is considered employed if they worked at least one hour per week for pay or profit, including those temporarily absent from work.
Which region of Russia has the highest employment?
Sakhalin Oblast, 76.1% in 2025. The lowest figure is in the Republic of Ingushetia, 53.5%.
Brief
The employment rate of the population aged 15–72 in 2025 reached 67.7%, a historic maximum, compared with 58.5% in 2000. Employed persons: 74.3 million, labour force: 76.0 million, and it has hardly grown since 2016. Further growth in employment is limited by demographics: there are no more spare hands in the country. Regional variation ranges from 76.1% in Sakhalin to 53.5% in Ingushetia.
All rows are taken from open Rosstat publications and are updated on the website as new data become available.