Global Employment Law Intelligence
Employment protection legislation scores for 145 countries, sourced from ILO EPLex, World Bank B-READY, and OECD EPL. Compare worker rights, notice periods, severance pay, and dismissal rules side by side.
Fuses ILO EPLex, World Bank B-READY, and OECD data to rank/compare employment laws across 145 countries with historical trends.
Compare how strongly 145 countries protect workers — from hiring rules and notice periods to severance pay and dismissal costs. Powered by ILO EPLex, World Bank B-READY, and OECD EPL data.
Top 5 Most Protective Labor Markets
ILO EPLex composite scores — a snapshot of where worker protection is strongest worldwide.
ILO EPLex Composite (Top 5)
Worker Protection Rankings
ILO EPLex scores (0-1 scale, higher = more protection) measure how strongly each country's termination laws protect workers.
Most Protective
Highest EPLex composite scores
Least Protective
Lowest EPLex composite scores
Three Authoritative Data Sources
PlainEmploy combines three major international datasets for the most comprehensive view of employment protection.
Detailed termination rules: notice periods, severance pay, probation, prohibited grounds for dismissal. 0-1 scale.
Labor regulation quality, dismissal costs, dispute resolution, social contributions. 0-100 scale. 2025 data.
Historical protection scores for regular employment, temporary contracts, and collective dismissal. 0-6 scale.
Best Labor Regulation Quality
World Bank B-READY 2025 — Overall labor score (0-100, higher = better regulation quality).
Getting Started — Orientation Guides
Understanding EPL Scores
What the 0-6 OECD scale measures and how pillars are computed
Termination Laws by Country
Notice periods, severance, and dismissal rules compared
Gig Economy & Employment Law
How countries regulate platform work and classify gig workers
Reading Employment Statistics
Decode unemployment rates, participation, and underemployment
Hiring Internationally
Key compliance factors when expanding into global markets
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PlainEmploy?
PlainEmploy is a free data portal that presents employment protection data for 145 countries from three authoritative sources: the ILO Employment Protection Legislation database (EPLex), the World Bank Business Ready (B-READY) report, and the OECD EPL index. It shows how strongly each country's laws protect workers from unfair dismissal.
What do the different scores mean?
Each source uses a different scale. ILO EPLex scores range 0-1 (higher = more protection). World Bank B-READY scores range 0-100 (higher = better regulation quality). OECD EPL scores range 0-6 (higher = more protection). All three provide complementary views of employment law.
Where does the data come from?
ILO EPLex (2020 edition) covers termination rules for 95 countries. World Bank B-READY (2025) assesses labor regulation quality for 101 economies. OECD EPL (through 2019) provides historical employment protection scores for 72 countries. Together they cover 145 unique countries.
How current is this data?
The World Bank B-READY data was released in December 2025 and is the most current. ILO EPLex covers laws through 2020. OECD EPL data runs through 2019. Employment law changes slowly, so these scores remain broadly accurate for understanding country-level differences.
Deep Dives — Editorial Analysis
Longer-form editorial research that takes a single question and answers it with data, source citations, and worked examples. For orientation primers, see the Getting Started section above.