Seoul: South Korea added nearly 200,000 jobs in April, though the manufacturing sector posted its sharpest on-year decline in over six years, data revealed. The number of employed people reached 28.89 million last month, up 194,000 from a year earlier, as compiled by Statistics Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, April's data highlights a continued upward trend in employment following a brief contraction at the end of 2024, when the country saw a net loss of 52,000 positions in December. Since then, the trend has reversed, with a net increase of 135,000 jobs in January, 136,000 in February, and 193,000 in March. However, the manufacturing sector, which employs over 4 million people, has seen declines for ten consecutive months.
"Overall industrial conditions in the manufacturing sector remain sluggish, leading to job losses in areas like electronic components and computers," said Gong Mi-sook, an official from the agency. "Semiconductors, which are leading export drivers, tend to generate fewer jobs per unit of output." External uncertainties, such as U.S. tariff measures, have contributed to the prolonged slump in manufacturing employment, with concerns of further job cuts in the coming months.
The construction sector experienced a decline as well, shedding 150,000 positions last month, marking the 12th consecutive month of decline. Employment in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries dropped by 134,000, the steepest fall since November 2015, primarily due to abnormal weather conditions, including cold spells.
In contrast, employment in public health and social welfare increased by 218,000, while the science and technology sector gained 113,000 positions. April's job growth was primarily driven by the hiring of older adults, with employment for those aged 60 years and older jumping 340,000 from a year earlier.
Jobs for people in their 30s increased by 93,000. However, employment for younger age groups saw significant declines. Jobs for those in their 20s fell by 179,000, while employment among those in their 40s decreased by 51,000. Statistics Korea noted that the overall population in these age groups has also been shrinking.
The youth employment rate, aged 15-29, was 45.3 percent, the lowest for any April since 2021, and fell by 0.9 percentage point from a year earlier. The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 years increased by 0.3 percentage point to 69.9 percent in April, while the jobless rate edged down 0.1 percentage point to 2.9 percent.
The employment rate among people aged 15 and older increased by 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier to 63.2 percent in April. The number of economically inactive people rose by 18,000 to 16 million as of end-April, with those out of work to rest increasing by 45,000 on-year to 1.6 million. Among them, the number of youths in the category increased by 15,000 to 415,000, continuing an upward trend for the 12th month.