October Employment Up by 193,000... Youth Job Slump Persists (Update)

Employment Rate for Ages 15-64 Rises to 70.1%, Up 0.3 Percentage Points
Youth Employment Rate (Ages 15-29) Remains at 44.6%

Last month, the number of employed people increased by 190,000, marking a growth rate in line with this year's average. The employment rate rose above 70%, continuing its upward trend. However, when looking only at the youth demographic, employment has declined for 18 consecutive months, indicating that sluggish job growth persists for this group.

Job seekers attending the '2025 Win-Win Cooperation Job Fair' held last month at COEX Magok in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, are checking the job postings.

According to the "October 2025 Employment Trends" released by the National Data Agency on November 12, the number of employed people aged 15 and over last month was 29.04 million, an increase of 193,000 (0.7%) compared to the same month last year.

The increase in the number of employed had surged to 312,000 the previous month, but was adjusted back to the 100,000 range. Except for May (245,000) and the previous month, all other months this year also saw increases in the 100,000 range. An official from the National Data Agency explained, "The average increase in employment from January to October is 193,000," adding, "Last month's growth was about the same as this year's average."

By industry, the health and social welfare services sector continued its upward trend with an increase of 280,000 jobs, while the arts, sports, and leisure-related services sector also saw an increase of 70,000 jobs. The wholesale and retail sector added 46,000 jobs, marking two consecutive months of growth. The increases in arts, sports, and leisure-related services, as well as wholesale and retail, were partly attributed to the impact of livelihood recovery consumption coupons.

On the other hand, the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector decreased by 124,000 jobs, marking a seventh consecutive month of declines in the 100,000 range. The construction sector (-123,000) and the manufacturing sector (-51,000) also continued their negative trends for 18 and 16 consecutive months, respectively. In the case of construction, the decline widened compared to the previous month (-84,000) due to heavy rainfall last month.

By age group, the number of employed people aged 60 and over (334,000) and those in their 30s (80,000) continued to increase, reflecting the effects of an aging population and demographic structure. In contrast, employment declined for those in their 20s (-153,000), 40s (-38,000), and 50s (-19,000).

The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64, the standard used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was 70.1%, up 0.3 percentage points. By age, the employment rate for those in their 40s (80.4%) and those aged 60 and over (48.1%) increased, but the employment rate for young people (aged 15 to 29) fell to 44.6%, marking an 18th consecutive month of decline. A National Data Agency official explained, "The trend of companies hiring experienced workers or recruiting on a rolling basis is working against young people," adding, "This is also because industries that typically employ many young people, such as manufacturing, are not performing well."

Among the economically inactive population, the number of people who reported "resting" reached 2.58 million, an increase of 135,000. The number of people in their 20s who reported "resting" rose by 4,000 to 402,000, reversing a two-month decline and increasing last month. The number of people in their 30s who reported "resting" (334,000) increased by 24,000. This is the highest figure for October since related statistics began in 2003.