Last Half of Last Year Sees Record High Employment Rate in Si/Gun/Gu... Driven by 'Urban Women'

Statistics Korea, Key Employment Indicators by Si/Gun/Gu in Regional Employment Survey

In the second half of last year, the employment rate in cities, counties, and districts reached an all-time high. The increase in the number of employed women in urban and special/metropolitan city district areas led the overall growth in employment.

On the 20th, Statistics Korea announced in the '2023 Second Half Regional Employment Survey: Key Employment Indicators by City, County, and District' that the number of employed people in the urban areas of 9 provinces reached 14,006,000 last year. This is an increase of 170,000 compared to the same period the previous year, with an employment rate of 62.5%. This is the highest level since the statistics began in 2013.

The number of employed people in the county areas of the 9 provinces was 2,103,000, an increase of 14,000 compared to the same period last year, with an employment rate of 68.9%. This is also a record high. The number of employed people in the district areas of 7 special/metropolitan cities was 11,536,000, an increase of 223,000 compared to the same period last year, with an employment rate of 58.7%. This is the highest level since the related indicators began being compiled in 2021.

The increase in total employment was driven by employed women in urban areas. Breaking down urban area employment by gender, the number of men (8,074,000) increased by only 13,000 compared to the same period last year, while the number of women (5,932,000) increased by 157,000. In addition, in the district areas of special/metropolitan cities, the number of employed men (6,404,000) increased by 27,000 compared to the previous year, while the number of women (5,132,000) increased by 195,000.

In contrast, in county areas where agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and manufacturing industries have a high proportion, the number of employed men (1,167,000) increased by 17,000, while the number of employed women (936,000) decreased by 3,000. Lim Kyung-eun, head of the Employment Statistics Division, explained, "There is a positive aspect in the employment status of women in their 30s," adding, "Since the proportion of young female employees in urban and district areas is high, this part influenced the overall employment figures."

The return of 'working moms' to companies also increased. The economically inactive population in city and county areas decreased by 34,000 and 10,000 respectively due to childcare and housework. In the district areas of special/metropolitan cities, the decrease was as much as 93,000 in childcare and housework.

The unemployment rates in city and county areas fell by 0.2 percentage points each compared to the same period last year, recording 2.7% and 1.2%, respectively. These are the second-lowest levels on record. The unemployment rate in the district areas of special/metropolitan cities was 3.6%, the same as last year, marking the lowest level ever recorded.