What type of work do most people do?
A total of 9.7 million people aged 15 to 74 were in paid employment in 2023. Nearly half of them worked in jobs related to business administration, healthcare and well-being or technology. The most common occupation among men was ICT specialist (385 thousand), while among women, it was an administrative job (492 thousand).
More than 8 in 10 people who work in technology, ICT or transportation and logistics are men. In comparison with women, men are more likely to be managers or to work in agriculture. On the other hand, women are more likely to work in services, education or healthcare and well-being.
An increasing number of people work in ICT
In 2023, there were 1.3 million more people aged 15 to 74 in paid employment than in 2013. Nine of the 13 occupational classes had more workers than a decade earlier. The largest change was seen in ICT, which had nearly twice as many workers as in 2013. The number increased from 282 thousand to 542 thousand. Many people also started working in occupations related to business and administration, healthcare and well-being or education.
| Beroepsklasse | 2023 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Business and administration | 1870 | 1487 |
| Healthcare and well-being | 1412 | 1136 |
| Engineering and technology | 1319 | 1207 |
| Commerce | 1081 | 976 |
| Services | 777 | 791 |
| Education | 721 | 559 |
| Transportation and logistics | 648 | 620 |
| ICT | 542 | 282 |
| Management | 510 | 525 |
| Public administration, security and justice |
337 | 300 |
| Creative and language | 244 | 199 |
| Agriculture | 176 | 192 |
| Other | 99 | 158 |
Mainly young people switched careers
In 2023, some people in employment made a career switch: an average of 5 percent every three months.
A small share of these (1 percent) switched jobs, but the new job belonged to the same occupational class. An occupational class is a group of jobs that share the same level and requirements. An example would be a care worker who continues to work in the same care home, but as a social worker.
The majority of switchers (4 percent) found a job in a different occupational class. For example, if the same care worker started working as a communications officer. Many of those who did this in 2023 were young people with part-time jobs. They are more likely to switch careers.
| Beroepsklasse | within the same occupational class | to another occupational class |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 1.4 | 3.8 |
| Education | 1.3 | 3.5 |
| Creative | 0.4 | 3.7 |
| Commerce | 1.6 | 6.0 |
| Business and administration | 1.9 | 3.3 |
| Management | 1.0 | 3.5 |
| Public administration, security and justice |
0.5 | 3.4 |
| Engineering and technology | 1.5 | 2.8 |
| ICT | 0.6 | 2.8 |
| Agriculture | 0.4 | 2.9 |
| Healthcare and well-begin | 1.7 | 2.0 |
| Services | 1.6 | 5.8 |
| Transportation | 0.9 | 6.9 |
Source
StatLine – Employed labour force; economic activity