What is the KILM?

The Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) is published every other year (with the 5th edition launched in September 2007). The KILM makes labour market information and analysis easily accessible and facilitates the comparison of key elements of national labour markets. It contains a core set of 20 labour market indicators that cover various facets of decent work deficits around the world. The KILM thereby is a wide-ranging and broadly-used reference tool that meets the ever-increasing demands for timely, accurate and accessible labour market information and analysis in a rapidly changing world of work.

The set of indicators is maintained in order to reflect changing labour market conditions and can be adjusted if necessary. This flexibility as well as extensive country coverage makes it a cornerstone for a diverse set of research activities and projects that take place within and outside the ILO. Besides this function, the KILM also serves as an educational tool for labour market analysis. Users are guided on how to use the indicators for analysis, including in terms of comparability across countries and over time. In addition, a thematic analytical chapter on up-to-date labour market issues is provided in the KILM. These “key issues” in the past included an analysis of employment, income and productivity; female labour force participation and fertility; and Millennium Development Goals, decent work and vulnerable employment.

The KILM also provides the foundation for the ILO’s world and regional estimates for labour force, employment, employment by status, employment by sector, unemployment, labour productivity, employment elasticities and working poverty, which are used in the World Employment Report (WER), Global Employment Trends (GET) reports and most likely in the forthcoming Decent Work Report.

 KILM manuscript

The entire english manuscript is available using the links in the right-hand column of this page. The KILM manuscript is currently being translated into French and Spanish. Text that has been translated so far is noted in the right-hand column of this page in the following manner.

(fr) - Disponible en français
(es) - Disponible en español

 Press information

 See other Employment Trends team reports

The Global Employment Trends series offer comprehensive analyses of global and regional labour market trends and are the source of the latest available ILO world and regional estimates for indicators such as labour force participation, employment, unemployment and working poverty. Thematic series, such as global employment trends for women and youth are available as well. For an overview of all Trends Team products and projects, click here.

KILM 5th Edition software
is now available
free of charge:
click here to download

View KILM 5th Edition Manuscript (pdf):

• Executive summary (fr) (es)
• Acknowldgements
• Guide to understanding the KILM

Chapter 1
Key issues in the labour market:

• Section A. Decent employment and the Millennium Development Goals: Description and analysis of a new target (es)
• Section B. Assessing vulnerable employment: the role of status and sector indicators (es)
• Section C. Beyond the employment/unemployment dichotomy: Measuring the quality of employment in low-income countries (es)

Chapters 2-9
KILM indicators 1-20:

• Labour force participation rate (es)
• Employment-to-population ratio (es)
• Status in employment (es)
• Employment by sector (es)
• Part-time workers (es)
• Hours of work (es)
• Employment in the informal economy (es)
• Unemployment (es)
• Youth unemployment (es)
• Long-term unemployment (es)
• Unemployment by educational attainment (es)
• Time-related underemployment (es)
• Inactivity rate (es)
• Educational attainment and illiteracy (es)
• Manufacturing wage indices (es)
• Occupational wage and earning indices (es)
• Hourly compensation costs (es)
• Labour productivity and unit labour costs 
  
• Employment elasticities 
  
• Poverty, working poverty and income distribution 
  

Appendices:

• Appendix B. International Classification by Status in Employment (ICSE-1993)
• Appendix C. International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC - Rev.2, 1968, and Rev. 3, 1990)
• Appendix D. International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)
• Appendix F. Using the KILM for labour market analysis in a country: an example