Public Sector Jobs Reach 2.88 Million... Sharpest Decline Among People in Their Twenties

Public Sector Job Distribution in 2024
General Government: 85.7%, Public Corporations: 14.3%

In 2024, public sector jobs increased, but the growth was only marginal. Jobs for people in their twenties continued a downward trend for the third consecutive year, with the largest decrease on record.

Job seekers visiting the Gangnam-gu Employment Fair held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, last June are checking the job posting board.

According to the "2024 Public Sector Employment Statistics" released by the National Data Agency on January 15, the number of public sector jobs in 2024 was 2,875,000, an increase of 1,000 jobs (0.1%) compared to the previous year.

Of these, jobs in general government totaled 2,463,000, up by 4,000 (0.2%). Public corporations accounted for 412,000 jobs, a decrease of 3,000 (0.6%). The share of jobs in general government and public corporations was 85.7% and 14.3%, respectively.

The proportion of public sector jobs relative to the total number of employed persons was 10.0%, the same as the previous year. When compared to the total number of jobs, the share was 10.8%, also unchanged from the previous year.

By age group, the number of public sector employees was highest among those in their forties (750,000), followed by those in their thirties (744,000) and fifties (711,000). Compared to the previous year, the number of jobs increased by 19,000 for those in their thirties, 14,000 for those in their fifties, and 7,000 for those aged 60 and above.

On the other hand, the number of jobs decreased by 29,000 for those aged 29 and under, and by 9,000 for those in their forties. In particular, the decline among those aged 29 and under was the largest since relevant statistics began in 2016. This downward trend has continued for three years.

Regarding length of service, 23.3% of employees had worked for 5 to less than 10 years, 22.5% for less than 3 years, and 21.7% for 10 to less than 20 years. The average length of service was 11.5 years, an increase of 0.2 years compared to the previous year.

When public sector jobs are broken down by industry, the largest numbers were in public administration, defense, and social security administration (1,395,000), followed by education services (777,000), and health and social welfare services (117,000). Compared to the previous year, education services saw the largest increase in jobs (1,000), while the information and communications industry experienced the largest decrease (-4,000).

By function within general government, the largest numbers of jobs were in general public administration (841,000), education (765,000), defense (267,000), and public order and safety (232,000). Compared to the previous year, general public administration increased by 4,000 jobs, while defense decreased by 5,000 jobs.

Here, "jobs" refers to employment positions occupied by workers, which differs from the concept of "employed persons." For example, if a worker performs work for both Institution A and Institution B, the number of employed persons is counted as one, but the number of jobs is counted as multiple.