Job Growth Led by Those Aged 60 and Over
Continued Decline in Youth Population
The number of employed people in January increased by 380,000 compared to the same period last year, recovering to the 300,000 level for the first time in three months. The employment growth was led by those aged 60 and over, while the youth employment decline continued.
During the same period, the number of unemployed increased by 48,000, marking three consecutive months of growth since November last year.
According to the 'January Employment Trends' announced by Statistics Korea on the 16th, the number of employed people aged 15 and over last month was 27,743,000, an increase of 380,000 compared to the same month last year.
The increase in the number of employed people fell to the 200,000 range from 346,000 in October last year to 277,000 in November and 285,000 in December, but recovered to the 300,000 range again after three months.
Seo Un-ju, Director of the Social Statistics Bureau at Statistics Korea, said, "The increase in employment continued as the demand for care rose and employment increased in industries such as construction."
By age group, employment increased by 350,000 among those aged 60 and over, 85,000 in their 30s, and 71,000 in their 50s, but decreased by 47,000 in their 20s and 42,000 in their 40s.
By industry, employment increased in health and social welfare services (104,000), professional, scientific and technical services (73,000), and construction (73,000). On the other hand, employment decreased in business facility management, business support and rental services (-45,000), real estate (-28,000), and education services (-13,000). Employment in manufacturing also increased by 20,000, maintaining growth for the second consecutive month.
On the 17th, job seekers are attending a job preparation lecture at the 2024 Public Institution Recruitment Information Fair held at the aT Center in Yangjae, Seoul, which runs until the 18th. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@
By employment status, among wage workers, permanent workers increased by 320,000 and temporary workers by 137,000, while daily workers decreased by 82,000.
The employment rate for those aged 15 and over was 61.0%, up 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier. The employment rate for those aged 15-64, the OECD comparison standard, was 68.7%, up 0.9 percentage points from the same month last year.
The youth employment rate (ages 15-29) was 46.3%, up 0.2 percentage points from the same month last year.
The unemployment rate was 3.7%, up 0.1 percentage points from the same month last year. The number of unemployed was 1,072,000, an increase of 48,000 compared to the same month last year. The number of unemployed increased among those aged 60 and over (35,000) and those in their 30s (19,000). The youth unemployment rate was 6.0%, up 0.1 percentage points from the same month last year.
The economically inactive population decreased by 267,000 from a year earlier, recording 16,699,000.
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