APESO - Facts & figures
Sectoral distribution of work in Asia-Pacific
Change in employment shares by sector, 2010-17
Workers are moving out of employment in manufacturing and agriculture into the services sector, with the largest gains in the area of wholesale and retail trade.
Distribution of employment by sector, 2017
Still in 2017, the largest share of workers in the region make a living through agriculture, forestry or fishing.
Sectoral distribution by subregion, 2017
The sectoral distribution of work differs across the subregions. Non-retail services absorbs most workers in Eastern Asia and South-Eastern Asia and the Pacific, while in Southern Asia, still 2 in 5 workers are in agriculture. At most, 17 per cent of workers in Eastern Asia work in the manufacturing sector. Still in 2017, the largest share of workers in the region make a living through agriculture, forestry or fishing.