Last month, the number of employed people increased by more than 200,000. The number of employed has continued to rise for six consecutive months.
According to the employment trends for May 2025 announced by the National Statistical Office on the 11th, the total number of employed last month was 29.16 million, an increase of 245,000 compared to the same month last year. The increase in the number of employed last month was the largest in 13 months since an increase of 261,000 in April 2024.
The employment rate for those aged 15-64 (OECD comparison standard) rose by 0.5 percentage points (p) to 70.5% compared to the same month last year. The employment rate for those aged 15 and older increased to 63.8%, up 0.3 p. The employment rate indicators recorded the highest level since the statistics were compiled. The unemployment rate fell to 2.8%, down 0.2 p compared to the same month last year.
Looking at the employment rates by age group, the employment rate for those aged 30-39 increased by 1.1 p to 81.2% compared to a year ago. The employment rate for those aged 40-49 also rose by 1.0 p to 80.2%. The employment rate for those aged 60 and older increased by 0.9 p to 48.3%. On the other hand, the employment rate for those aged 15-29 decreased by 0.7 p to 46.2%, and the employment rate for those aged 50-59 fell by 0.5 p to 77.6%.
The number of employed youth aged 15-29 has continued to decline for 31 consecutive months.
By gender, the expansion of female employment is notable. The number of employed women aged 15 and older reached 13.04 million. This is the first time that the number of employed women has exceeded 13 million. Last month, the participation rate of women in economic activities was 57.8%, and the employment rate was 56.3%, both surpassing the highest levels recorded since statistical compilation began.
By industry, the health and social welfare services sector increased by 233,000. The professional, scientific, and technical services sector also rose by 117,000, and the financial and insurance sector increased by 72,000.
On the other hand, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and construction declined by 135,000 and 106,000, respectively. The number of employed in construction has continued to decrease for 13 consecutive months, indicating a sluggish construction industry.
The number of employed in manufacturing also decreased by 67,000. The number of employed in manufacturing has shown a decline for 11 consecutive months since July of last year.
The number of employed in the accommodation and food services sector also declined by 67,000. This is the largest decrease in 3 years and 6 months since a drop of 86,000 in November 2021.
By employment status, the number of regular workers increased by 362,000, and temporary workers rose by 25,000. However, casual workers decreased by 59,000.
The economically inactive population increased by 56,000 (2.4%) due to rest. The elderly population decreased by 56,000 (-2.3%), and childcare decreased by 39,000 (-5.5%), resulting in a net decrease of 22,000 compared to the same month last year. Discouraged job seekers numbered 345,000, down 19,000 compared to the same month last year.