Seoul:South Korea added 139,000 jobs in October compared to the previous year, surpassing the 100,000 mark for the fourth consecutive month, according to government data released on Wednesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the total number of employed individuals reached 29.17 million in October, an increase from 29.04 million the year before, as reported by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Job growth in the nation turned positive in June following a decrease of 40,000 jobs in May, which was the first drop in 17 months.
The country's unemployment rate stood at 2 percent last month, which is a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the previous year. The number of unemployed individuals was 602,000 in October, showing a decline of 56,000 from the same month in 2025. The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 rose to 70.4 percent, marking an increase of 0.3 percentage points. However, for those aged 15 to 29, the rate fell by 1.7 percentage points to 42.9 percent, marking the 30th consecutive month of decline. Employment among this age group decreased by 196,000, continuing a 48-month trend of decline.
In terms of sector breakdown, the manufacturing industry experienced a reduction of 7,000 jobs, and the construction sector saw a loss of 42,000 jobs. The accommodation and restaurant sector experienced the sharpest decline with 137,000 jobs lost. This was the most significant drop since February 2021, when 232,000 jobs were lost. The agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector also reported 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. Meanwhile, the number of economically inactive individuals increased by 179,000 to 16.29 million from the previous year, while those taking a break without seeking work fell by 69,000 to 2.51 million.