111,000 Jobs Added in Q2... Manufacturing and Construction Slumps Continue

Health and Social Welfare Lead Job Growth
Manufacturing Down for Second Quarter, Construction Declines for Seventh Straight Quarter

In the second quarter, the number of wage jobs increased by 111,000, recovering the growth that had sharply declined in the previous quarter. While the health and social welfare services sector led the job growth, the manufacturing and construction industries continued to show negative trends.

Job seekers participating in the "Gyeonggi-do 5070 Job Fair" held last month at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, are looking at the recruitment bulletin board.

According to the "Wage Job Trends for the Second Quarter of 2025" released by the National Data Agency on November 18, the total number of wage jobs in the second quarter stood at 20.95 million, up by 111,000 (0.5%) compared to the same period last year. Since the first quarter of 2022, when wage jobs increased by 752,000, the pace of growth has continued to slow. In the first quarter of this year, the increase was only 15,000, marking the smallest growth since related statistics began in 2018.

By industry, jobs increased in health and social welfare services (134,000), association, repair, and personal services (30,000), and professional, scientific, and technical services (28,000). The health and social welfare sector, which had seen a slowdown in growth in the first quarter, returned to normal levels and drove the overall increase. In contrast, manufacturing, which accounts for the largest share of jobs at 20.5%, saw a decrease of 13,000, and construction decreased by 141,000. The construction sector has now been in decline for seven consecutive quarters.

In manufacturing, after turning negative in the first quarter of 2021 (-28,000), the sector again posted a decrease in the first quarter of this year (-12,000), and the decline continued for a second consecutive quarter. This was due to reductions in electronic components (-6,000), structural metal products (-5,000), and other fabricated metal products (-3,000). A National Data Agency official explained, "The manufacturing sector is negative because sluggish construction has led to reduced production of metals and other materials, and exports have also been weak."

By age group, the number of jobs decreased for those in their 20s and younger (-135,000) and those in their 40s (-80,000), while it increased for those in their 30s (76,000), 50s (15,000), and 60s and older (235,000). The decline among those in their 20s and younger was particularly pronounced in manufacturing (-22,000), information and communications (-21,000), and construction (-21,000). For those aged 60 and older, jobs increased in health and social welfare (94,000), business and rental services (27,000), and manufacturing (27,000).

A National Data Agency official noted, "The decline among those in their 20s and younger and those in their 40s is due to fewer hiring opportunities in the sectors where they typically work, and also because fewer people are entering these age groups compared to the number moving into older age brackets. Both factors are at play."

A job refers to a position occupied by a worker and is different from the number of employed persons. For example, if one person works at a company during the week and teaches at an academy on weekends, they count as one employed person but hold multiple jobs.