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Korea adds 183,000 jobs in June, but manufacturing, construction sectors remain sluggish

Published: 16 Jul. 2025, 16:46

Jobseekers look at notices at a job fair for people with disabilities held on May 27 in Incheon. [YONHAP]

Korea added more than 180,000 jobs in June, marking the sixth consecutive month of employment growth, but employment in the manufacturing and construction sectors continued to decline, data showed Wednesday.

The number of employed people reached 29.09 million last month, up 183,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Since then, the trend has reversed by posting a net increase of 135,000 jobs in January, 136,000 in February, 193,000 in March, 194,000 in April and 245,000 in May.

The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 increased by 0.4 percentage points from a year earlier to 70.3 percent in June, while the jobless rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to 2.8 percent, the data showed.

Despite the overall growth, the manufacturing and construction sectors, considered the backbone of the economy, remained sluggish.

A jobseeker sits down for a consultation session at a job fair held in Busan on May 27. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The manufacturing sector lost 83,000 jobs from the previous year in June, extending its downturn to its 12th consecutive month.

The construction sector shed 97,000 jobs over the same period, continuing its decline for the 14th consecutive month.

"Although the decline in manufacturing has lessened compared to March and April, it slightly increased from the previous month," an official at the statistics agency said. "We need to keep an eye on the impact from trade issues and the ongoing tariff negotiations [with the United States]"

The agriculture sector saw the steepest job decline since November 2015, deducting 141,000 jobs, which translates to an 8.7 percent drop.

A senior citizen looks at notices at a job fair held on May 27 in southern Seoul. [NEWS1]

The significant drop is attributable to an abnormal cold wave in April and heavy rain in June, the agency said.

The accommodation and food service industry lost 38,000 jobs amid weak domestic consumption.

In contrast, employment in the public health and social welfare sector rose by 216,000, while the science and technology services sector added 102,000 jobs.

Jobs related to education services also increased by 72,000.

Jobseekers look at notices at a job fair held on May 26 in southern Seoul. [NEWS1]

June's job growth was primarily driven by the hiring of older adults.

Employment for those aged 60 years and older jumped 348,000 from a year earlier, and jobs for people in their 30s went up by 116,000.

Employment for younger age groups, however, saw declines.

Jobs for those in their 20s fell by 152,000, while employment among those in their 40s and 50s decreased by 55,000 and 53,000, respectively.

The employment rate for people aged 15 and older edged up 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier to 63.6 percent in June. However, the employment rate for those aged 15 to 29 dropped 1 percentage point on-year to 45.6 percent, down for the 14th consecutive month.

The number of economically inactive people increased by 42,000 to 15.8 million as of the end of June.

Yonhap