Okuzeka
Economics vocabulary · Jobs and Unemployment

Participation rate

Meaning in economics, with examples

nounCommon term

In economics, participation rate means: The share of the working-age population that is in the labour force, meaning people who are either working or actively looking for work.

In Turkish: işgücüne katılım oranı

How it is used

The full name is the labour force participation rate. Read it together with the unemployment rate: unemployment can fall simply because discouraged people stop looking and leave the labour force. In Türkiye, women's participation rate is a widely discussed figure.

Example sentences

  1. The participation rate for women rose to 36%, still well below the OECD average.

  2. Unemployment fell, but only because the participation rate dropped as people gave up looking for work.

Common collocations

  • labour force participation rate
  • female participation rate
  • a rise in the participation rate
  • low participation
  • labour forceAll the people who are either working or unemployed but actively looking for work; students, retirees and others not seeking jobs are left out.
  • unemploymentThe situation of people who have no job but are available for work and actively looking for one; also the number or share of such people.
  • labour marketThe market in which workers offer their time and skills and employers hire them, setting the level of employment and wages.
  • human capitalThe knowledge, skills, health and experience of workers, seen as an asset that raises productivity and income in the same way as machines or buildings.

More terms: Jobs and Unemployment

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not financial advice.