"Effect of Aging Population's Care Demand"... Non-Residential Welfare Facility Employment Hits All-Time High

Announcement of Employment Characteristics by Industry and Occupation
Ages 15?29 Mainly Work in Restaurant and Bar Industry
15.8% of Older Workers Employed in Social Welfare Services

As the aging population drives increased demand for care, the number of workers employed in “non-residential welfare facility operations”—which includes daytime elderly care centers and home-visit welfare services—reached an all-time high of 1,688,000 as of the first half of the year.

On October 28, the Ministry of Data and Statistics announced the results of its “2025 Regional Employment Survey—Characteristics of Employed Persons by Industry and Occupation.”

Citizens moving near Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul last September. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the industrial subcategory statistics for the first half, the largest number of workers were employed in non-residential welfare facility operations (1,688,000 people, 5.8%), followed by restaurant businesses (1,662,000 people, 5.8%), and crop cultivation (1,260,000 people, 4.4%). The number of employees increased in non-residential welfare facility operations (135,000 people) and residential welfare facility operations (32,000 people), while crop cultivation (-115,000 people) and building construction (-69,000 people) saw declines.

An official from the Ministry explained, “The number of workers in non-residential welfare facility operations is the highest for the first half of any year since the statistics were first compiled in 2017.” The official added, “Non-residential welfare facility operations account for the largest share within the health and social welfare service sector and continue to grow. The category mainly includes facilities related to increased demand for care due to aging, such as daytime elderly care centers and home-visit welfare services.”

By industry mid-category, restaurants and bars employed the most people (2,144,000 people, 7.4%), followed by retail (excluding motor vehicles) (1,945,000 people, 6.7%), and social welfare services (1,930,000 people, 6.7%). While the number of workers increased in social welfare services (167,000 people) and education services (68,000 people), it decreased in agriculture (-126,000 people) and specialized construction (-76,000 people).

When breaking down industry mid-categories by age group, for those aged 15–29, restaurants and bars had the highest employment with 587,000 workers (16.2%), although this is a decrease of 44,000 compared to the same period last year. After restaurants and bars, retail (excluding motor vehicles) followed with 320,000 workers (8.8%), and education services with 297,000 workers (8.2%).

For those aged 60 and older, social welfare services had the most workers (1,089,000 people, 15.8%), followed by agriculture (1,037,000 people, 15.0%), and restaurants and bars (430,000 people, 6.2%). The number of workers in social welfare services increased by 129,000, while agriculture saw a sharp decline of 72,000 workers.

Looking at employment status by major industry category, among wage workers (22,415,000 people), manufacturing accounted for 17.8%. Among non-wage workers (6,472,000 people), agriculture, forestry and fisheries made up 20.7%. Among regular workers (16,677,000 people), manufacturing accounted for 22.1%, while among temporary and daily workers (5,738,000 people), health and social welfare services had a high share at 18.9%.

In the first half, 30.6% of wage workers earned between 2 million and 3 million won per month. This is a decrease of 1.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year. The next largest groups were those earning between 3 million and 4 million won (22.4%), more than 5 million won (16.3%), between 4 million and 5 million won (11.2%), between 1 million and 2 million won (9.9%), and less than 1 million won (9.6%). All income brackets, except for those earning less than 1 million won (which fell by 0.8 percentage points), saw slight increases.

Workers earning between 2 million and 3 million won were more likely to be employed in business facility management, business support and rental services (46.3%), as well as real estate activities (40.3%). Those earning more than 5 million won were most commonly found in financial and insurance activities (37.2%) and professional, scientific and technical services (35.9%). Workers earning less than 1 million won were mainly employed in health and social welfare services (28.9%) and accommodation and food services (23.8%).

An official from the Ministry of Data and Statistics said, “A significant proportion of those earning less than 1 million won work part-time.” The official continued, “For government-funded direct job programs for seniors, those who work at social welfare centers are generally classified under health and social welfare services. Because they typically work short hours, many of them fall into the group earning less than 1 million won.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.