South Korea Jobless Rate Edges Up to 2.8%

2026-08-11 23:10 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 2.8% in July 2026 from 2.7% in the previous month.

The economy added 108,000 jobs during the month, marking the second consecutive month of increase, bringing total employment to 29.14 million from 29.03 million a year earlier.

Job growth remained in the 200,000 range in February and March before slowing to 74,000 in April and falling by 40,000 in May, the first decline in 17 months.

Employment gains were driven by business, personal, public services, and others (+247,000) and electricity, transport, communication, and finance (+66,000), while manufacturing (-68,000), construction (-57,000), and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-80,000) continued to see job losses.

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people totaled 776,000 in July, up 50,000 yoy, while the number of economically inactive people rose by 158,000 year-on-year.

The youth employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 fell to 44.2%, down 1.6 percentage points.



News Stream
South Korea Jobless Rate Edges Up to 2.8%
South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 2.8% in July 2026 from 2.7% in the previous month. The economy added 108,000 jobs during the month, marking the second consecutive month of increase, bringing total employment to 29.14 million from 29.03 million a year earlier. Job growth remained in the 200,000 range in February and March before slowing to 74,000 in April and falling by 40,000 in May, the first decline in 17 months. Employment gains were driven by business, personal, public services, and others (+247,000) and electricity, transport, communication, and finance (+66,000), while manufacturing (-68,000), construction (-57,000), and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-80,000) continued to see job losses. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people totaled 776,000 in July, up 50,000 yoy, while the number of economically inactive people rose by 158,000 year-on-year. The youth employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 fell to 44.2%, down 1.6 percentage points.
2026-08-11
South Korea Jobless Rate Falls to 2.7% in June
South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 2.7% in June 2026 from 2.8% in the previous month. The economy added 63,000 jobs during the month, marking the first rebound in two months, bringing total employment to 29.15 million from 29.09 million a year earlier. Job growth remained in the 200,000 range in February and March before slowing to 74,000 in April and contracting by 40,000 in May, the first decline in 17 months. Employment gains were driven by health and social welfare services (+214,000), arts, sports and recreation (+55,000), and transportation and logistics (+48,000), while manufacturing (-97,000) and agriculture, forestry and fisheries (-95,000) continued to shed jobs. The youth employment rate, people aged 15 to 29, fell to 43.9%, down 1.7 percentage points. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people totaled 834,000 in June, up 10,000 from a year earlier, while the number of economically inactive people rose by 181,000 from a year ago.
2026-07-14
South Korea Jobless Rate Unchanged at 2.8%
South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 2.8% in May 2026, unchanged from April. The economy lost 40,000 jobs during the month, the first decline in employment in 17 months, amid economic uncertainty, bringing total employment to 29.120 million. Job gains exceeded 200 thousand in February and March before falling to 74 thousand in April. A decline in employment came amid persistent weakness in mining & manufacturing and construction. Employment also dropped in agriculture, forestry & fishing, as well as wholesale & retail trade and accommodation & food services. Meanwhile, gains were recorded in electricity, transport, communication & finance, and business, personal, and public services. The youth employment rate declined to 43.8%, down 2.4 percentage points from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed increased to 878,000 in May, up 25,000 or 3.0% year-on-year. The labor force participation rate fell to 62.5%, from 62.7% in April.
2026-06-10