The Conference Board International Labor Comparisons
ILC is dedicated to producing economic indicators that optimize research, comparison, and planning in a global context.
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Monthly ILC reports discontinued; related data available via other programs
Monthly reports on consumer prices and employment have been discontinued as part of the International Labor Comparisons (ILC) program. Due to technical issues, the transition of monthly ILC data to the (subscription-based) Business Cycle Indicators program will be postponed until Spring 2015. Until that time, underlying data tables on monthly consumer prices and employment will continue to be published on the ILC site (see Monthly International Indexes of Consumer Prices and International Unemployment Rates and Employment Indexes). The next update with data through December 2014 will be posted in February 2015.
Charting International Labor Comparisons
21 Mar. 2014
Compare national labor markets and international competitiveness through charts and accompanying insights. Charts highlight labor costs, labor productivity, and other comparable indicators for up to 38 countries, including emerging economies. Learn More
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment
12 Feb. 2015
In December, labor markets improved in Australia, Germany, the U.S. and Italy, as these economies experienced falling unemployment rates coupled with rising employment. Both Japan and Germany experienced historic lows in joblessness. Learn More
International Comparisons of Annual Labor Force Statistics, 1970-2013
28 Aug. 2014
In the US, Canada, Germany, and Japan, rapidly falling unemployment rates reflect tightening labor markets. In contrast, high unemployment and increasing labor participation rates in Europe has resulted in an excess of available labor willing to fill jobs. Across most countries, growing numbers of women and older workers are joining the workforce, while youth are struggling to find jobs and increasingly dropping out of the labor force. Learn More
Hourly Compensation Costs (Wages and Benefits)
International Comparisons of Hourly Compensation Costs in the Manufacturing Sector, 1996-2013
17 Dec. 2014
Relative to 2012, Japan, Greece, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Canada and Taiwan all saw decreases in US dollar-denominated hourly compensation costs, reflecting improved labor-cost competitiveness against the US in 2013. There is also a wide disparity of labor-cost trends within the Euro Area, as European labor markets recover differently. Further, the latest compensation trends suggest that India is better placed than China to maintain and extend its manufacturing competitiveness.
Compensation costs by sub-manufacturing industry and special estimates on manufacturing compensation in China and India are accessible in time series tables and interactive dashboards. Learn More
Productivity and Unit Labor Costs
17 Dec. 2013
In 2012, productivity weakened in 12 of the 19 economies compared. Nearly all Euro Area countries compared saw larger declines in unit labor costs than the US, meaning these countries increased their competitive edge against US manufacturing. On the other hand, unit labor costs rose across all Asian economies compared, making manufacturing in these countries less competitive. Learn more.
Consumer Prices
Monthly International Indexes of Consumer Prices, (Updated Monthly)
05 Feb. 2015
In December, inflation slowed in 13 of the 16 countries compared. The large downward pressure on inflation was due to the continued decline of oil prices at the end of 2014. Also 7 countries experienced deflation,the largest number since the global recession in 2009. Learn more.
International Indexes of Consumer Prices, 2013
15 Apr. 2014
Average annual inflation in 2013 slowed in 13 of the 16 economies compared, and most economies experienced declining inflation for the second year in a row. Inflation in the Euro Area as a whole fell from 2.5 percent in 2012 to 1.3 percent in 2013, reflecting the sluggish economic conditions in member countries throughout the year. Learn more.
Features
What does the change in energy prices mean for growth
prospects around the world?
How are CEO's addressing the issues they consider most critical?
CEO Challenge® 2015: Creating Opportunity out of Adversity
17 February, 2015 | KnowlEdge Series®
We surveyed more than 900 CEOs about their most pressing challenges in 2015 and their strategies for addressing them. Join us to explore the global and regional results and be prepared for what lies ahead.
The Conference Board Economics Watch® - Emerging Markets View
12 February, 2015 | Economics Watch®
This monthly webcast provides the latest insights from The Conference Board Economics Team on the growth performance of major emerging markets, especially the outlook for China, India, Brazil, and Mexico, as well as Southeast Asia. As a special topic, this month’s Economics Watch
will include China’s economic growth prospects and risks in 2015, as
well as drivers and developments of corporate profits in China.
The Long Soft Fall in Chinese Growth
21 January, 2015 | Special Webcast
Is the China slowdown over? Many analysts think China has had a “soft landing” that will yield about 7 percent annual growth for the next decade. The Conference Board disagrees.
Discontinued ILC Series
International Comparisons of GDP per capita & per hour worked, 2012
17 Dec. 2013
XLS Time Series tables, 1960-2012
PDF Technical Notes
Ongoing Related Series: See The Conference Board Total Economy DatabaseTM (TED) for international comparisons of GDP, population, employment, hours worked, labor quality, capital services, labor productivity, and total factor productivity for 123 countries.
About the International Labor Comparisons Program
Formerly a division of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the International Labor Comparisons (ILC) program prepares economic indicators that are comparable across countries. Often statistics from different countries are not comparable and do not allow for meaningful comparative analysis. In contrast, ILC adjusts economic statistics to facilitate meaningful and accurate comparisons between countries by using a common conceptual framework. These data can be used to evaluate the economic performance of one country relative to others.
ILC was eliminated by the federal government in 2013 due to across-the-board spending cuts. ILC produces internationally comparative datasets using the same concepts and methodology as those previously used by BLS. For historical data see www.bls.gov/ilc.