South Korea Adds 63,000 June Jobs as Youth Employment Falls for 26th Month
Updated
Updated · asiae.co.kr · Jul 15
South Korea Adds 63,000 June Jobs as Youth Employment Falls for 26th Month
1 articles · Updated · asiae.co.kr · Jul 15
Summary
29.154 million people were employed in June, up 63,000 from a year earlier, reversing May’s 40,000 decline as Middle East-related uncertainty eased.
63.4% was the overall employment rate, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier for a third straight monthly drop because population growth outpaced job gains.
197,000 fewer youths aged 15-29 were employed, pushing their employment rate down to 43.9% and lifting youth unemployment to 7.0%, up 0.9 point year on year.
97,000 manufacturing jobs and 67,000 construction jobs were lost, extending sector downturns even as semiconductor-led growth continued to generate limited hiring.
150,000 is the government’s revised 2026 new-jobs forecast, cut from 160,000, as officials prepare third-quarter youth measures and broader support for manufacturing and construction.