Seoul:South Korea recorded an addition of 139,000 jobs in October compared to the previous year, marking the fourth consecutive month where job growth exceeded 100,000, as revealed by government data on Wednesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the number of employed individuals in October reached 29.17 million, up from 29.04 million in the same month last year, based on statistics from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Job growth turned positive in June following a decline of 40,000 in May, which was the first drop in 17 months. The unemployment rate in the country decreased to 2 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous year, with 602,000 people unemployed, reflecting a decrease of 56,000 from October 2025.
The employment rate for the age group 15 to 64 increased by 0.3 percentage points to 70.4 percent, while for those aged 15 to 29, it fell by 1.7 percentage points to 42.9 percent, continuing a 30-month trend of decline. The number of employed people in this younger age group decreased by 196,000, marking the 48th consecutive month of decline.
Sector-wise, manufacturing saw a reduction in employment by 7,000 jobs, with notable losses in the textile, automobile, and clothing industries, as reported by Bin Hyun-joon, a senior statistics official. The construction sector shed 42,000 jobs, and the accommodation and restaurant sector experienced a significant drop of 137,000 jobs, the sharpest since February 2021. The agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector also saw a decrease of 101,000 jobs. Conversely, the health care and social welfare sector added 249,000 jobs, and the transportation sector gained 48,000 jobs.
The number of economically inactive individuals rose by 179,000 to 16.29 million. However, the number of people taking a break without seeking work fell by 69,000 to 2.51 million. First Vice Finance Minister Kwon Dae-young emphasized the importance of jobs in channeling the benefits of export-driven growth to the domestic economy and people's lives, highlighting the government's focus on improving employment conditions for vulnerable groups and ensuring the completion of job creation projects.