Last month, the number of employed persons increased by more than 180,000. This marks the sixth consecutive month of growth. However, employment remains weak in the manufacturing and construction industries.
According to employment trends released by the Statistics Korea on June 16, 2025, the total number of employed persons last month was 29,091,000, an increase of 183,000 compared to the same month the previous year.
The number of employed persons has maintained an upward trend with increases of 135,000 in January, 136,000 in February, 193,000 in March, 194,000 in April, and 245,000 in May. However, following the largest increase in 13 months recorded in May, the growth rate has dropped to the 100,000 range within a month.
The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 years (OECD comparison standard) is 70.3%, up 0.4 percentage points from the same month last year. The employment rate for individuals aged 15 and older is 63.5%, maintaining a similar level to that of the same month last year. The unemployment rate stands at 2.8%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point.
Breaking down the employment rates by age group, the employment rate for those aged 30 to 39 years is 81.0%, an increase of 0.8 percentage point from a year ago. The employment rate for those aged 40 to 49 years also rose to 80.2%, up 0.8 percentage point. The employment rate for those aged 60 and over increased to 48.1%, up 0.7 percentage point. However, the employment rate for those aged 15 to 29 years decreased to 45.6%, down 1.0 percentage point, and the employment rate for those aged 50 to 59 years fell to 77.8%, down 0.2 percentage point.
The employment rate for young people aged 15 to 29 years has continued to decline for 14 consecutive months.
By industry, the number of employed persons in manufacturing decreased by 83,000. The decline has worsened compared to May (-67,000), continuing a 12-month downward trend.
The agricultural, forestry, and fishing industries and the construction industry experienced declines of 141,000 and 97,000 employed persons, respectively. In particular, the number of employed persons in the construction industry has fallen for 14 consecutive months, indicating a weak construction market.
In contrast, the health and social welfare service industries saw an increase of 216,000 employed persons. The professional, scientific, and technical services industry and the educational services industry also experienced increases of 102,000 and 72,000 employed persons, respectively.
By employment status, the number of regular workers increased by 318,000, and the number of temporary workers increased by 58,000. The number of daily workers decreased by 63,000.
The economically inactive population increased by 60,000 (2.5%) due to those resting, and by 20,000 (0.3%) due to housekeeping. However, there was a decrease in the economically inactive population in old age (-43,000, -1.7%) and childcare (-32,000, -4.5%), resulting in an increase of 42,000 compared to the same month last year. The number of discouraged job seekers stands at 341,000, a decrease of 32,000 compared to the same month the previous year.