Asians and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders in the labor force

In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we take a closer look at some national employment statistics for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. BLS has been collecting data in the on the labor market characteristics of people who identify their race as Asian or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander since 2003.

In 2022, Asian Indians made up the largest number of Asian Americans in the civilian labor force at 2.7 million, followed by Chinese at 2.4 million. There were 744,000 Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders in the labor force in 2022, as well as 732,000 Koreans and 500,000 Japanese.

The labor force participation rate—the percentage of the population that is employed or unemployed—is generally higher for Asians and for Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders than the U.S. average. The ratio in 2019 was 64.0 percent for Asians and 68.4 percent for Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders, above the national average of 63.1 percent for those 16 years and older. The participation rates for most groups declined sharply in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The labor force participation rate for Asian Americans had fully recovered by 2022, while the rate for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, at 66.6 percent, had not yet reached its pre-pandemic rate.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. We also have more information on labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity and geographic profiles.