Employment-population ratio of Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders

As we celebrate Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders this month, BLS data help us highlight their participation in the U.S. labor force. Through the Current Population Survey, BLS publishes information on the labor market characteristics of people who identify their race as Asian or Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI).

In the United States, 60.3 percent of those age 16 years and older were employed in 2023. Asians and NHPIs tend to be employed at a higher rate than the overall population. In 2023, around 63 percent of each of these populations held jobs.

We can also look at the work experience of several groups within the Asian population. BLS publishes information on seven different Asian groups—Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Other Asian. Of these, the percentage of each population that was employed in 2023 ranged from 54.3 percent of Japanese to 68.5 percent of Asian Indians. Also among the Asian groups with the highest employment-population ratios were Filipinos (64.6 percent) and Koreans (64.1 percent).

These data come from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see the latest Commissioner's Corner blog on U.S. Labor Force Characteristics of Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders.