Population Increased for 4 Consecutive Months... "Moving to Ulsan for Jobs"

Ulsan's Total Population Growth Trend, the Only One Among 5 Metropolitan Local Governments in Yeongnam Region

The population of Ulsan has been increasing for four consecutive months.

Ulsan City saw its population stop declining and start increasing in September last year after 88 months (7 years and 4 months) of decrease, maintaining this upward trend for four consecutive months until December. During this period, the population increased by a total of 1,067 people.

Amid concerns about population crises and even local extinction, Ulsan is the only one among the five metropolitan local governments in the Yeongnam region to have experienced population growth over the past four months.

Ulsan City attributes this to the results of large-scale investment attraction and pro-business, job-first policies implemented during the 8th local government administration.

According to an analysis of social population movement, one of the factors affecting population change, positive signs were detected of people returning to Ulsan in search of jobs.

While the inflow of foreign workers, mainly in Dong-gu, significantly contributed to maintaining Ulsan’s recent population growth, the increase in domestic population moving in for jobs and the decrease in domestic population moving out indicate that job-related factors have played a key role in sustaining the population increase.

During the past four months (September to December 2023), the number of people moving into Ulsan for jobs increased by 323 compared to the same period in 2022, while those moving out decreased by 546. As a result, the net migration of people leaving in search of jobs dropped by 81.4% compared to the same period in 2022.

Another noteworthy point is that in December alone, although by just one person, the outflow of domestic residents from Ulsan stopped and shifted to a net inflow (3,274 moving in, 3,273 moving out).

Furthermore, the decrease in the youth population (ages 19 to 39) over the past four months (September to December 2023) shrank by 40.6% compared to the same period in 2022 (4,041 decrease in 2022, 2,402 decrease in 2023), ranking first nationwide except for the Seoul metropolitan area (Incheon).

Additionally, according to an analysis of population movement by city and province, Ulsan’s increase rate of incoming residents (2.2%) from January to November 2023 was the highest nationwide excluding the Seoul metropolitan area, and its decrease rate of outgoing residents (-4.8%) was the highest nationwide including the Seoul metropolitan area.

The increase in Ulsan’s population is seen as a result of the designation of the national advanced strategic industry secondary battery specialized complex, strategic tailored investment attraction activities, and the establishment of an electric vehicle factory in Ulsan, all reflecting the pro-business and job-first policies of Ulsan’s 8th local government administration.

Kim Doo-gyeom, Mayor of Ulsan, stated, “Through the creation of quality jobs driven by investment attraction and new industry development under pro-business policies, we expect to see further population growth.” He added, “We will improve conditions in various fields such as education, culture, welfare, healthcare, transportation, and environment to build a ‘Greater Ulsan.’”