The Country Similarity Index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries. The index is a statistically-based way to measure this. 20% of the index is based on demographics. 10% of a country’s demographic score (2% of the overall Country Similarity Index score) is allocated for employment. The statistics included the labor force participation rate of both men and women as well as their occupation type. The following is an explanation on how they were calculated:
Male Labor Force Participation Rate
Of all countries in the world, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have the highest percentage of males that are working at over 90 percent. These countries rely heavily on foreign labor, particularly male workers, to support their rapid economic development. On the other end of the spectrum, three other predominately Muslim countries (Somalia, Turkmenistan, and Djibouti) have the lowest percentage of men that are working at less than 50 percent, according to the data.
The World Bank is the main source of the data:
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.MA.ZS
Countries were grouped by percentage of employed men over the age of 15:
40-50, 50-60, 60-70, 70-80, 80-90, 90-100
Female Labor Force Participation Rate
Globally, a lower percentage of women tend to be employed than men. The Solomon Islands has the highest percentage of women in the work force at over 80 percent. However, the vast majority of the countries with a high female labor force participation rate are located in Africa. This is because a large part of the population relies on subsistence agriculture. Women often play a crucial role in farming in these countries. Afghanistan and Yemen have the lowest percentage of women in the work force, due to their conservative Muslim traditions.
The World Bank is the main source of the data:
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS
Countries were grouped by percentage of employed women over the age of 15:
0-15, 15-30, 30-45, 45-60, 60-75, 75-90
Occupation
The percentage of people working in each major economic sector (agriculture, services, and industry) provides insight into a nation’s economy and stage of development. Most people in the least developed countries work in agriculture. Nations that are the most developed tend to have a higher percentage of people that work in the service and industry sectors. Brunei has the highest percentage of people working in industry, since oil production is by far the biggest component of its economy.
The CIA Factbook is the main source of the data:
https://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/fields/labor-force-by-occupation
Countries were categorized by the percentage of people working in each major sector of employment:
agriculture, service, industry