Gwangju Sees Decline in Employment and 3.1% Unemployment Rate
Slight Increase Led by Wholesale, Retail, and Construction
Jeonnam Experiences Drop in Self-Employed but Rise in Total Employment
Decrease in Employment in Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, and Construction
Nearly 30,000 self-employed individuals in Gwangju and Jeonnam have disappeared over the past year. In Gwangju, both the number of employed people and the employment rate have declined, leading to a worsening of employment indicators and a rise in the unemployment rate. In contrast, Jeonnam saw a decrease in the number of self-employed, but the total number of employed people increased.
A restaurant on Chungjangro in Donggu, Gwangju has closed down and put up a 'For Rent' sign. Photo by Song Bohyun
According to the 'June Employment Trends' released the previous day by the Honam Regional Statistics Office, the number of self-employed in Gwangju stood at 136,000, down by 14,000 people (9.2%) compared to the same month last year. In Jeonnam, the number of self-employed was 287,000, a decrease of 15,000 people (4.9%) from a year earlier. Combined, the two regions lost 29,000 self-employed individuals.
In terms of total employment, Gwangju had 781,000 employed people, a decrease of 5,000 (0.7%) from last year, while Jeonnam had 1,016,000 employed people, an increase of 3,000 (0.3%).
By industry, both Gwangju and Jeonnam experienced the most significant declines in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector. In Gwangju, employment decreased in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-8,000 people, -33.5%), manufacturing (-4,000 people, -3.9%), and electricity, transportation, communications, and finance (-3,000 people, -2.7%). On the other hand, employment increased in wholesale and retail, accommodation and food services (4,000 people, 2.9%), construction (3,000 people, 4.5%), and business, personal, and public services (2,000 people, 0.5%).
In Jeonnam, employment decreased in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-25,000 people, -11.5%), construction (-6,000 people, -7.4%), and wholesale and retail, accommodation and food services (-6,000 people, -3.5%). However, employment increased in business, personal, and public services (16,000 people, 4.5%), manufacturing (13,000 people, 13.2%), and electricity, transportation, communications, and finance (12,000 people, 16.1%).
As for unemployment, Gwangju had 25,000 unemployed people, an increase of 4,000 (19.2%) from the same month last year, and the unemployment rate was 3.1%, which is 0.3 percentage points higher than the national average of 2.8%. In Jeonnam, the number of unemployed was 27,000, a decrease of 2,000 (15.8%), and the unemployment rate fell to 2.5%, down by 0.2 percentage points.
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