Employment Protection by Region

How do global regions compare on worker protection? This analysis groups all 145 covered countries by geographic region and compares average ILO EPLex composite scores (0–1) and World Bank B-READY labor-regulation scores (0–100). According to the International Labour Organization, whose 2020 EPLex edition underpins the termination scores here, statutory protection differs sharply across legal traditions, and the regional averages below reveal those structural patterns. See our methodology for how each index is measured and why the three scales are not interchangeable.

Employment protection varies dramatically by region. European countries consistently score the highest on both ILO EPLex (measuring termination protections) and B-READY (measuring regulatory quality). Latin American countries tend to have strong formal protections on paper, though enforcement varies. Asia shows the widest variation, from highly protective Japan and South Korea to minimally protective environments in parts of South and Southeast Asia. These patterns reflect historical labor movements, legal traditions (civil law vs. common law), and levels of economic development.

Browse individual country profiles for detailed breakdowns, or use the comparison tool to compare specific countries side by side. For background on what these scores measure, see the guide to understanding employment protection scores.

ILO EPLex, Regional Averages

Other

Avg: 0.43 (95 countries)
Tajikistan 0.66 Czech Republic 0.64 Indonesia 0.64 Turkmenistan 0.62 Montenegro 0.61 Philippines 0.61 Uzbekistan 0.60 Portugal 0.59 Netherlands 0.57 Slovakia 0.57 +85 more

World Bank B-READY, Regional Averages

Other

Avg: 65.4 (101 countries)
Taiwan 81.4 Malta 79.0 Canada 78.4 Ireland 77.3 Kazakhstan 75.1 Croatia 74.9 Georgia 74.8 South Korea 74.5 Hong Kong 74.4 North Macedonia 74.0 +91 more

Sources

  • ILO Employment Protection Legislation Database (EPLex), 2020 edition
  • World Bank Business Ready (B-READY) Report, 2025
Regional groupings are approximate and used for analytical purposes. Some countries may be grouped differently depending on the classification system used.

PlainEmploy is rendered directly from the OECD Employment Protection Legislation indicators, the ILO EPLex database, and the World Bank B-READY labor pillar, no number is typed in by an editor. These regional comparisons are computed directly from the underlying OECD/EPLex/B-READY tables, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-30.