Employment rate continues to cruise, but youth left in the dust
Published: 12 Nov. 2025, 18:30
![People visit the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo District, western Seoul on Nov. 12 to receive consultations about unemployment benefits. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/12/6c14f097-a919-46ec-8636-2f4f4db348b9.jpg)
People visit the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo District, western Seoul on Nov. 12 to receive consultations about unemployment benefits. [NEWS1]
Korea’s employment rate hit a record high in October, but most of the gains were among older workers, while youth employment declined for the 18th consecutive month and the number of inactive workers in their 30s reached an all-time high.
The Ministry of Data and Statistics said on Wednesday that 29.04 million people were employed in October, up 193,000 from the same month last year. It marked another month of solid growth, with most employment gains hovering in the 100,000 range this year. The only exceptions were May and September, which saw an increase of 245,000, and September, which added 312,000.
The employment rate for those aged 15 and older reached 63.4 percent, the highest for any October on record. The standard employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development member states also rose to 70.1 percent, another record high for the month.
But much of the increase came from people aged 60 and older, who added 334,000 jobs. Employment fell across most other age groups.
The number of people in their 30s with jobs increased by 80,000, while employment dropped among all others, with the sharpest decline seen among those aged 15 to 29, who lost 163,000 jobs. The youth employment rate fell to 44.6 percent, down 1 percentage point from the same time last year, marking the 18th month in a row that employment among young people declined.
“Fast-track hiring that favors experienced workers has made it harder for youth to enter the work force,” said Gong Mi-sook, the head of the social statistics bureau at the Data Ministry. “Weakness in the manufacturing sector, where younger workers tend to be concentrated, has also had an effect.”
The number of people neither working nor looking for a job — classified in Korean statistics as “resting” — rose to 2.58 million in October, up 135,000 from a year earlier. The number of young people aged 15 to 29 classified as “resting” fell by 9,000 to 409,000, while the figure for those in their 30s rose by 24,000 to 334,000, the highest level since the category was first recorded in 2003.
![People visit the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo District, western Seoul on Nov. 12 to receive consultations about unemployment benefits. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/12/2071db7d-bec2-4828-a6d1-99b04965bb77.jpg)
People visit the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo District, western Seoul on Nov. 12 to receive consultations about unemployment benefits. [NEWS1]
“Employment and labor force participation among people in their 30s remain relatively strong,” Gong said. “But we’re seeing a shift, with fewer people engaged in child care or household responsibilities and more reporting no active involvement in any activity.”
Employment continued to decline in key sectors such as manufacturing and construction. The construction sector saw a year-on-year drop of 123,000 employed people in October, marking the 18th consecutive month of decline and a sharper fall than the 84,000 recorded in September. The ministry attributed the drop in part to frequent rainfall during the month.
The number of people employed in manufacturing fell by 51,000 in October, extending a 16-month decline. But the pace of decrease was the slowest since last October, when the sector saw a drop of 33,000. Employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing also fell by 124,000, continuing a downward trend driven by aging rural populations and structural changes in the industry.
Employment in wholesale and retail increased by 46,000 in October, the largest gain since November 2017. Jobs in arts, sports and leisure also grew by 70,000, showing a marked recovery. Analysts attributed the growth to government stimulus measures such as consumer coupons and discounts for performances and exhibitions.
![People fill out forms in front of a job information board at the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo District, western Seoul on Nov. 12. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/12/fa9ea125-04aa-489c-82c8-3c55bdcf6bbe.jpg)
People fill out forms in front of a job information board at the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo District, western Seoul on Nov. 12. [NEWS1]
The consumer coupons are part of a government stimulus program that provides vouchers to households to boost domestic spending, with funds usable at restaurants, cultural venues and local businesses.
“We will strengthen policy efforts to ensure that the recovery in consumption leads to job growth,” the government said. “We will also focus on mitigating trade-related risks through follow-up measures to tariff negotiations.
"We aim to boost the country’s growth potential through an AI-driven transformation, a hyper-innovation economy and productive finance, while working to create high-quality jobs that appeal to young people.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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