The Global Community Liaison Office routinely collects family member employment statistics from over 200 overseas posts. These statistics show the number of adult family members employed inside a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas, as well as those working on the local economy of their host country. The statistics also indicate the number of adult family members at post.
Worldwide Family Member Employment Overview, Spring 2023 (238 updated posts, 100% of posts reporting) “Adult Family Members” are associated with the US Department of State, the other Foreign Affairs Agencies, as well as all other government agencies operating under Chief of Mission authority.
| Report | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Spring FAMER | 12,159 | 12,249 | 11,974 | 12,373 | 12,676 |
| Fall FAMER | 11,722 | 11,756 | 11,840 | 12,370 |
| Working Inside the Mission | 3,291 | 26% |
| Working Outside the Mission | 2,353 | 19% |
| Not Employed | 7,032 | 55% |
| Report | Number of EFMs | Percentage |
| Bureau | Family Members at Post | Working Inside % | Working Outside % | Total Family Members Working1 % |
| African Affairs (AF)1 | 1,689 | 36% | 21% | 57% |
| East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP)2 | 2,237 | 26% | 19% | 44% |
| European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR) | 3,858 | 19% | 20% | 38% |
| Near Eastern Affairs (NEA)3 | 1,435 | 29% | 18% | 47% |
| South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA)4 | 613 | 44% | 14% | 58% |
| Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) | 2,844 | 25% | 17% | 42% |
| Total | 12,676 | 26% | 19% | 45% |
1 Two AF Special Incentive Post (SIP) accounts for less than 1% of AF Inside the Mission positions.
2 One EAP Special Incentive Post (SIP) accounts for less than 1% of EAP Inside the Mission positions.
3 Two NEA Special Incentive Posts (SIP) account for 2% of NEA Inside the Mission positions.
4 Two SCA Special Incentive Posts (SIP) account for 12% of SCA Inside the Mission positions.
| Report | AF | EAP | EUR | NEA | SCA | WHA |
| 2020 Spring | 602 | 582 | 757 | 394 | 287 | 667 |
| 2021 Spring | 532 | 523 | 760 | 379 | 262 | 620 |
| 2022 Spring | 575 | 531 | 754 | 417 | 230 | 605 |
| 2023 Spring | 606 | 573 | 732 | 415 | 268 | 697 |
Note: includes filled and pending positions; includes full-time, part-time, and intermittent work schedules.
| Report | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Spring FAMER | 3,143 | 3,289 | 3,076 | 3,105 | 3,291 |
| Fall FAMER | 3,154 | 3,018 | 2,893 | 3,124 |
Of 12,676 Family Member, 2,353 are Employed Outside the Mission
| Category | Number of EFMs | Percentage of EFMs |
| Telework | 874 | 37% |
| Home Business & Freelance | 438 | 19% |
| DETO | 327 | 14% |
| Education | 272 | 12% |
| Local Economy | 203 | 9% |
| Other | 239 | 9% |
| Total | 2,042 | 100% |
Other Fields Defined
| Field | Number of EFMs | % of EFMs |
| RECASSN | 59 | 3% |
| Int’l Org | 39 | 2% |
| US Gov-DC | 37 | 2% |
| Medical | 27 | < 1% |
| PVO/NGO | 26 | < 1% |
| Commute US | 20 | < 1% |
| Law | 13 | < 1% |
| Other Diplomatic Mission | 9 | 0% |
| Military | 9 | 0% |
| Total | 239 | 9% |
