Statistics Korea Releases August Employment Trends
Number of Employed Rises by 160,000
Manufacturing Down for 14 Months, Construction Down for 16 Months
Job seekers visiting the 2025 Mid-sized Companies Job Fair held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 23rd are looking at the recruitment notice board. 2025.4.23 Photo by Cho Yongjun
The number of employed people increased by about 160,000 in August, marking a third consecutive month of gains in the 100,000 range. However, overall employment growth has slowed, as job sluggishness continues in domestic sectors such as manufacturing and construction.
According to the "August Employment Trends" released by Statistics Korea on September 10, the number of employed people last month was 28,967,000, an increase of 166,000 compared to a year earlier.
The monthly increase in employment has fluctuated between 100,000 and 200,000, recording 193,000 in March, 194,000 in April, 245,000 in May, 183,000 in June, and 171,000 in July.
Indicators for jobs related to domestic demand have shown little improvement. The number of people employed in manufacturing fell by 61,000, marking a decrease for 14 consecutive months. Employment in the construction sector also declined by 132,000, continuing a 16-month downward trend due to the construction market downturn.
The agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector saw a decrease of 138,000, as the structural decline in farming and fishing households was compounded by abnormal weather in August. In contrast, employment increased in sectors such as health and social welfare services (304,000), education services (48,000), and real estate (40,000).
By age group, the number of employed people increased among those aged 60 and over (401,000) and those in their 30s (96,000), while it decreased significantly among those in their 20s (-195,000), 40s (-73,000), and 50s (-38,000). In particular, employment among young people (aged 15-29) dropped by 219,000, with the decline widening compared to the previous month.
On the 15th, job seekers carefully examined the job posting board at the "2024 Hope Happiness Future Job Fair" hosted by Yeongdeungpo-gu, the Korea Economic Association Middle-aged and Senior Tomorrow Center, Seoul Southern Employment and Labor Office, and Yeongdeungpo Women's Workforce Development Center, held at the FKI Tower in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@
By employment status, the number of regular employees increased by 348,000. However, the number of temporary workers (-12,000) and daily workers (-67,000) declined, affected by weak job creation in the construction sector.
The employment rate for those aged 15 and over was 63.3%, up 0.1 percentage points from the same month last year. The youth employment rate was 45.1%, marking a decline for 16 consecutive months.
The number of unemployed people was 592,000, an increase of 28,000 from last year. The unemployment rate stood at 2.0%.
The economically active population, which includes both employed and unemployed individuals, was 29,754,000, up 160,000 from a year earlier.
The economically inactive population was 16,220,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous year. Among them, the number of people who neither worked nor looked for work-the "resting" population-increased by 73,000 (2.9%) from a year ago.
The number of "resting" people in their 20s was 435,000, a decrease of 3,000 (0.8%) from a year earlier, while the number in their 30s reached 328,000, the highest ever recorded for August.
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