Updated
Updated · AASTOCKS.com · Jun 11
South Korea Employment Falls 40,000 in May as Jobless Rate Holds at 2.9%
Updated
Updated · AASTOCKS.com · Jun 11

South Korea Employment Falls 40,000 in May as Jobless Rate Holds at 2.9%

3 articles · Updated · AASTOCKS.com · Jun 11

Summary

  • 29.12 million South Koreans were employed in May, down 40,000 from a year earlier and marking the first annual decline since December 2024.
  • The employment rate for people aged 15 and over fell 0.5 percentage point to 63.3%, extending April's 0.2-point drop for a second straight monthly decline.
  • 878,000 people were unemployed on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, leaving the jobless rate at 2.9%—flat from April but 0.1 point higher than a year earlier.
  • Seasonally adjusted unemployment also held steady month on month at 2.8%, with the annual uptick suggesting labor-market softness is broadening beyond a single month.

Insights

Can South Korea's 'wartime' economic policies rescue its youth from a looming 'lost generation' employment crisis?
As manufacturing jobs vanish and care sector jobs boom, is South Korea undergoing an unforeseen economic revolution?
A 'triple shock' is battering South Korea's economy. Is its export-reliant model now its greatest weakness?