245,000 More Employed in May... Construction Sector Employment Down by 106,000 (Updated)

The number of employed people increased by 245,000 last month, marking the fifth consecutive month of growth. However, the number of employed people in the manufacturing sector, which is considered to provide quality jobs, decreased by 67,000, continuing an 11-month decline. Employment in the construction sector also fell by 106,000, showing a negative trend for the thirteenth consecutive month.

Many job seekers visiting the 2025 Mid-sized Companies Job Fair held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 23rd are looking at the job posting board. 2025.4.23 Photo by Cho Yongjun

According to the "May 2025 Employment Trends" released by Statistics Korea on June 11, the number of employed people in May was 29.16 million, an increase of 245,000 compared to the same month last year. The number of employed people increased for the fifth consecutive month since January, following increases of 195,000 in March and 194,000 in April.

By industry, employment increased in health and social welfare services (233,000 people, 7.7%), professional, scientific and technical services (117,000 people, 8.4%), and finance and insurance (72,000 people, 9.6%).

However, employment in manufacturing (-67,000 people, -1.5%) decreased, marking the eleventh consecutive month of decline since July last year. Due to the ongoing slump in the construction sector, the number of employed people in construction (-106,000 people, -5.1%) also decreased for the thirteenth consecutive month compared to the previous year. The number of employed people in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-135,000 people, -8.3%) also declined.

By age group, the number of employed people increased by 370,000 among those aged 60 and over, and by 132,000 among those in their 30s. In contrast, the number of employed people decreased by 124,000 among those in their 20s, by 68,000 among those in their 50s, and by 39,000 among those in their 40s.

The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 (based on the OECD comparison standard) was 70.5%, up 0.5 percentage points from the same month last year. The unemployment rate was 2.8%, down 0.2 percentage points from the same month last year. The economically inactive population increased by 56,000 among those who responded "resting," but decreased by 56,000 among the elderly and by 39,000 due to childcare, resulting in an overall decrease of 22,000 compared to the same month last year. The unemployment rate was 2.8%, down 0.2 percentage points from the same month last year. The employment rate among young people (aged 15-29) was 46.2%, down 0.7 percentage points from the same month last year. The youth unemployment rate was 6.6%, down 0.1 percentage points from the same month last year.