November Employment Trends: Youth Employment Down by 177,000
The number of employed people in November recorded an increase of around 200,000 for the second consecutive month. While the total number of employed people and the employment rate both rose, the employment rate among young people declined for the 19th consecutive month.
According to the “Employment Trends for November” released by the National Data Office on December 10, the number of employed people last month was 29,046,000, an increase of 225,000 compared to the same month last year. The pace of increase expanded compared to the previous month, which saw a rise of 193,000.
By age group, employment increased among those aged 60 and older (333,000), those in their 30s (76,000), and those in their 50s (2,000). In contrast, it decreased among those in their 20s (-192,000) and those in their 40s (-9,000).
In particular, the youth group (aged 15 to 29) saw a decrease of 177,000, marking the largest decline. The employment rate among young people was 44.3%, down 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier, continuing its downward trend for the 19th consecutive month. On the other hand, the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 (the OECD comparison standard) was 70.2%, up 0.3 percentage points from the same month last year.
On the 21st, job seekers attending the '2025 Win-Win Cooperation Job Fair' held at COEX Magok in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, are checking the job postings. 2025.10.21 Photo by Dongju Yoon
The economically inactive population in November was 16,142,000, a decrease of 10,000 compared to the same month last year. The number of people who were “resting”-neither working nor seeking work-was 2,543,000, an increase of 124,000.
The number of young people “resting” was 416,000, up 7,000 from a year earlier. Among those in their 30s, the “resting” population was 314,000, an increase of 6,000, marking the highest figure for November on record.
By industry, the number of employed people increased in health and social welfare services (281,000), business facilities management, business support, and rental services (63,000), and arts, sports, and leisure services (61,000).
On the other hand, manufacturing (-41,000), construction (-131,000), and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-132,000) all showed sluggish performance. In particular, manufacturing continued to decline for the 17th consecutive month.
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