South Korea Added 139,000 Jobs in October, but Youth Employment Fell for a 48th Straight Month

South Korea had 29,179,000 people in work in October, up 139,000 or 0.5 percent from a year earlier, in data released on Nov. 11 by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Young people did not share in the gain, as the number of employed people aged 15 to 29 fell by 196,000 from a year earlier to 3.325 million, marking the 48th consecutive month of year-on-year decline, and their employment rate fell to 42.9%. Older workers continued to account for much of the net increase, while restaurants, hotels and construction shed jobs. For Metaintro readers who are starting out or watching Asian job markets, this guide explains the two unemployment rates, where employment grew and shrank, why entry-level roles are scarce, and what the broader youth jobless measure shows.

What Did South Korea's October Jobs Report Show?

Job growth stayed in the 100,000 range for a fourth straight month, and the October gain compared with a gain of 113,000 in September.

The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64, the OECD comparison measure, was 70.4%, up 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier. That is the highest figure for any October since related data began to be compiled in 1989.

The rate for everyone aged 15 and over slipped 0.1 percentage points year-on-year to 63.3 percent. Over the same year, the population aged 15 and over grew faster than the number of people working, so the share in work dipped.

The month-on-month view is softer. Seasonally adjusted employment fell by 50,000 from the previous month, so the year-on-year gain does not mean employment grew between September and October. The seasonally adjusted employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 was 70.2%, down 0.1 percentage point from the previous month.

Which Unemployment Rate Should You Read, 2.0% or 2.5%?

Korea publishes two jobless rates, and the ministry compares them with different points in time. The unadjusted rate was 2.0%, down 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier.

The seasonally adjusted rate, which the ministry compares with the previous month, was 2.5%, down 0.1 percentage points from the previous month. The seasonally adjusted count of unemployed people was 737,000, down 29,000 from September.

The unadjusted number of unemployed people totaled 602,000 in October, down 56,000 from a year ago.

Outside the labor force, the economically inactive population across all ages rose 179,000 to 16,299,000 last month. The ministry's breakdown shows increases among people in school or training, up 131,000, and people citing old age, up 68,000.

How Far Did Youth Employment Fall in October?

The youth employment rate fell by 1.7 percentage points, and the rate has now slipped for the 30th consecutive month.

That rate is the lowest October reading since 2020, when the rate stood at 42.3 percent. It is also a level last seen during the pandemic in February 2021.

The decline was concentrated among people in their 20s, whose employment fell by 203,000 from a year earlier, exceeding the 188,000 decline in their population.

People in their early twenties took the biggest hit. Among 20 to 24 year olds, the employment rate plunged 3.6 percentage points to 40.0 percent, while the labor force participation rate fell 4.2 percentage points to 41.9 percent. The ministry's age table shows the same group with an employment rate of 43.6 percent in October last year.

Why Is Youth Unemployment Low If Fewer Young People Have Jobs?

The youth unemployment rate actually improved. For 15 to 29 year olds it edged down 0.1 percentage point to 5.2 percent. That looks good until you see participation, which dropped 1.9 percentage points to 45.2 percent.

The youth labor underutilization measure, which counts some job seekers and workers not fully reflected in the unemployment rate, rose 0.4 percentage point to 15.1 percent. The ministry calls this indicator its extended unemployment rate, and for all ages it was 7.3% in October.

One group outside the labor force shrank. The number of people classified as resting fell by 69,000 to 2.511 million, including a decline of 38,000 among those aged 15 to 29. Among people in their 20s, the resting group fell by 49,000, or 12.1 percent, yet employment in that age group still fell.

The contrasting figures suggest that lower unemployment does not necessarily signal better hiring prospects when fewer young people are participating in the labor market, according to the Aju Press analysis.

Does the New 15 to 34 Youth Measure Change the Picture?

Korea widened its youth statistics this autumn, as from September data the ministry began publishing figures for people aged 15 to 34, the group counted as young people under the special act on youth employment promotion, in force from September 2026.

The wider group shows the same trend, only milder. Employment among people aged 15 to 34 declined by 131,000, while their employment rate fell 0.6 percentage point to 55.4 percent.

Among 25 to 29 year olds, the employment rate was 71.0 in October, against 71.5 a year earlier. The unemployment rate for 25 to 29 year olds was 5.5 in October, against 5.4 a year earlier.

Which Industries Added and Cut Jobs in October?

Care work did the heavy lifting, as health and social welfare services added 249,000 jobs. In the ministry's industry table, that gain equals 7.5 percent growth on a year earlier. Transport and storage gained 48,000, while business support services added 37,000. In growth terms, transport and storage rose 2.8 percent and business support services 2.6 percent. Job growth overall was driven by employment gains in service-oriented industries that offset slumps in the hospitality and the construction sectors.

Restaurants and hotels went the other way, as domestic demand-driven sectors recorded sharp contractions. Accommodation and food services shed 137,000 jobs, the steepest decline since February 2021, and the contraction widened from 97,000 in September and 61,000 in August. Bin Hyun-jun, a director general at the ministry, attributed part of the weakness to a high comparison base created by last year's consumption voucher program, while also pointing to subdued activity in the sector. The October drop equals a 5.8 percent fall on a year earlier, and average weekly hours in wholesale, retail, accommodation and food fell 0.5 hours to 40.2.

Factories slipped back. Manufacturing employment fell by 7,000, reversing a gain of 16,000 in September, after the sector posted its first expansion in 27 months in September. The renewed decline underscored the uneven spillover from South Korea's export-led industrial recovery, according to the Aju Press analysis. Gains in chemicals, fabricated metals and other transportation equipment were offset by declines in textiles, automobiles and apparel.

Construction and farming also lost ground. Construction lost 42,000 jobs, continuing its downward trend for 30 months in a row, and agriculture, forestry and fisheries lost 101,000 jobs. In the ministry's table, those losses equal falls of 2.2 percent in construction and 6.9 percent in farming, forestry and fishing.

Which Age Groups Gained Jobs in Korea?

Older workers accounted for much of the gain, as employment among people aged 65 and above rose by 255,000, while the number of employed people aged 15 to 64 declined by 117,000. Among working-age adults, people in their 30s rose by 128,000, while those in their 40s lost 32,000 jobs.

The number of permanent employees increased by 287,000, but temporary workers fell by 107,000 and daily workers declined by 53,000. Among the self-employed, those with employees rose by 15,000 and those without employees by 42,000, while unpaid family workers fell by 45,000.

In the ministry's age table, the employment rate for people in their 20s fell 1.7 points to 58.5 percent, while the rate for people in their 30s rose 0.9 points to 81.7 percent and the rate for people in their 50s rose 1.2 points to 79.1 percent. Employment among people aged 60 and over rose by 196,000, yet their employment rate slipped 0.3 points to 47.8 percent, while the population in that age group grew by 496,000.

The fall hit young women and young men alike, as among women in their 20s the employment rate fell 1.6 points to 61.1 percent, and among men in their 20s it fell 1.7 points to 55.9 percent. Teenagers were the exception, as the rate for 15 to 19 year olds rose 0.2 points to 5.8 percent.

Why Are Entry-Level Jobs Harder to Find in Korea?

Shrinking youth populations could not fully explain the weakness, Bin argued, and he pointed to companies' growing preference for experienced workers and rolling recruitment over traditional entry-level hiring. The agency also noted that the spread of automation, unmanned services and kiosks could affect job opportunities for young people, and Bin said weak employment conditions in the private sector are partially offsetting the effects of policy. The government plans to swiftly draw up an implementation plan for its National Jobs Project to improve employment conditions for young people and older workers, while preparing to fund next year's Youth Employment Recovery Plan through the budget.

The ministry's numbers back up the point about population, as the drop in the number of employed young people exceeded the 141,000 decrease in the youth population. Among 20 to 24 year olds, the population fell by 91,000, but employment fell by 120,000.

October broke a steadier summer, as the youth employment rate was 44.2 percent in July, 44.1 percent in August and 44.0 percent in September. A year earlier, in October 2025, it stood at 44.6 percent. The youth jobless rate also eased over the same months, from 6.8 percent in July to 5.4 percent in August and September, before edging down again in October.

The cold spell for youth labor was prolonged. The number of employed people aged 15-29 plummeted 196,000 in October from a year earlier, continuing to go down for 48 successive months, according to the Xinhua report.

What Does Korea's Broader Youth Jobless Measure Show?

The youth figure behind that broader reading is the ministry's expanded unemployment rate, known as Supplementary Employment Indicator 3, a broader measure, which includes people who are underemployed or potentially available for work. That measure presented a different picture from the official unemployment rate, which edged down for young people in the same month.

Across all ages, people working fewer than 36 hours a week rose by 28,000 to 6.691 million, while those working 36 hours or more rose by 124,000. Average weekly working time was 38.4 hours, down 0.1 hour from a year earlier.

Across all ages, the number of people outside the labor force who are preparing for employment was 619,000, up 21,000 or 3.5 percent. Discouraged job seekers, people who want a job and can work but did not search for labor-market reasons after looking for work within the past year, totaled 340,000, down 27,000 from a year earlier.

Is Korea's Job Recovery Reaching Young People?

The ministry's summary credits the rise in the 15 to 64 employment rate to gains among people in their 50s and 30s, and the fall in unemployment to declines among people in their 30s and 50s. The number of unemployed people fell 8.5 percent from a year earlier. Employment among people in their 20s, by contrast, kept falling.

Weaker youth participation, renewed manufacturing job losses and employment gains concentrated among older workers suggest the recovery has yet to broaden across generations and industries, according to the Aju Press analysis.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The October report shows a Korean job market that is growing, but not at its front door. The net gain came with fewer young people in work, fewer temporary and daily workers, and a sharp fall in accommodation and food services jobs.

The growth sits in care and social welfare, so young job seekers willing to train for care, health support or social welfare roles are moving toward a sector that added jobs rather than one that shed them. Transport, storage and business support services also grew.

Read the numbers with care. A low headline jobless rate and a falling youth jobless rate do not necessarily mean young people are finding work easily, because fewer of them are taking part in the labor market. Korea's squeeze mirrors patterns elsewhere, from youth unemployment in China to a youth unemployment jump in the US tied to frozen hiring.

If you are job hunting in Korea, aim at the growing sectors, and treat part-time or project work as a way to build the experience employers are asking for, while keeping an eye on the contracted hours.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: When youth hiring keeps shrinking, waiting for the perfect entry-level posting is a slow plan. Look at the sectors still adding people, take the role that builds real experience, and make every short contract count on your resume.

Related Articles

• How the Dutch Are Solving the Youth Jobs Crisis and What the UK Can Learn
• AI Threatens Entry Level Job Pipeline
• Chinese Youth Face Rising Unemployment in Evolving Job Market
• College Grads Hit Job Wall
• China's Record Number of College Graduates Faces Tough Job Market
• Navigating the Challenges of Hong Kong's Job Market
• Japan's Wages Are Rising After Decades of Stagnation, and What It Signals for Workers
• Japan's Tech Jobs Boom: How AI and Engineering Talent Are Reshaping the Workforce
• The Double Standard Older Workers Face on the Job

People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs did South Korea add in October?

A: South Korea had 29,179,000 people employed in October, up 139,000 or 0.5 percent from a year earlier, and job growth stayed in the 100,000 range for a fourth straight month.

Q: What was South Korea's unemployment rate in October?

A: The unadjusted rate for October was 2.0%, and the seasonally adjusted rate was 2.5%, with the adjusted rate down from 2.6 percent in September.

Q: Why is youth employment falling in South Korea?

A: A ministry official pointed to companies' growing preference for experienced workers and rolling recruitment over traditional entry-level hiring, and said shrinking youth populations could not fully explain the employment weakness.

Stay ahead of the market? Metaintro brings together 50M jobs in one place. Create a free profile and start your search today.