Gwangju’s Employment Rate Rose Slightly Last Year... Jeonnam’s Declined

Honam Regional Data Office Releases December and Annual Employment Trends
Gwangju Employment Rate at 60.8%, Up 0.2 Percentage Points
Number of Employed: 776,000; Self-Employed: 130,000
Jeonnam Employment Rate at 65.6%, Down 0.5 Percentage Points

December 2025 Gwangju Employment Trends. Provided by the National Data Agency Honam Regional Data Office

The employment rate in Gwangju has seen a slight increase, but it still remains below the national average.

According to the “December 2025 and Annual Employment Trends” released on the 14th by the National Data Agency Honam Regional Data Office, Gwangju’s employment rate last year was 60.8%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous year.

The rate has risen for four consecutive years-58.2% in 2021, 58.6% in 2022, 60.1% in 2023, and 60.6% in 2024-but it is still lower than the national average of 62.9%.

The number of employed people in Gwangju was 776,000, an increase of 2,000 (0.2%) compared to the previous year. By industry, employment increased mainly in mining and manufacturing (5,000 people, 4.6%) and manufacturing (5,000 people, 4.6%).

However, employment decreased in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (17,000 people, 8.5%), wholesale/retail, accommodation and food services (12,000 people, 6.7%), and construction (5,000 people, 5.8%).

The number of self-employed fell by 10,000 (6.7%) to 140,000 from the previous year. The number of unemployed rose by 2,000 (7.9%) to 26,000, and the unemployment rate also increased by 0.3 percentage points to 3.3%.

The economically inactive population, those not actively seeking employment, decreased by 6,000 (1.3%) to 474,000 compared to the previous year. The economically active population increased by 4,000 (0.4%) to 802,000.

Last year, the employment rate in Jeonnam was 65.6%, down 0.5 percentage points from the previous year.

The number of employed people was 997,000, a decrease of 7,000 (0.7%), with both the employment rate and the number of employed showing a downward trend for the second consecutive year.

By industry, the number of people employed in electricity, transportation, communications, and finance (11,000 people, 15.6%), manufacturing (5,000 people, 4.5%), and mining and manufacturing (5,000 people, 4.4%) increased.

However, employment decreased in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (19,000 people, 8.8%), wholesale/retail, accommodation and food services (4,000 people, 2.2%), and construction (1,000 people, 1.6%).

The number of self-employed decreased by 7,000 (2.3%) to 290,000 compared to the previous year.

The number of unemployed increased by 3,000 (9.2%) to 31,000, and the unemployment rate also rose by 0.3 percentage points to 3.0%.

Jeonnam’s economically active population decreased by 4,000 (0.4%) to 1,028,000, while the economically inactive population increased by 4,000 (0.8%) to 492,000.