Jeju Employment Rises, but 30s-40s Employment Rate and Tourism Sector Take a Hit

Increase in Employed Falls to Six-Month Low
Regular Jobs Decline While Self-Employment Surges
Wholesale, Retail, and Hospitality Take a Direct Hit

Last month, the number of employed people in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province increased for the 13th consecutive month. However, the employment rate among the core productive age groups—those in their 30s and 40s—plummeted, while jobs in the wholesale, retail, accommodation, and restaurant sectors declined sharply due to the ongoing slump in Jeju's tourism market. Moreover, a decrease in the number of regular employees and a concentration in temporary jobs and self-employment made the qualitative decline in employment increasingly apparent. As a result, the monthly increase in employed people, which had remained at the 10,000 level earlier this year, dropped to its lowest point in six months.

June 2026 Employment Trends in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Provided by the Ministry of Data and Statistics Jeju Office.

According to the 'Employment Trends in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province for June 2026,' released on July 15 by the Ministry of Data and Statistics Jeju Office (Honam Regional Data Agency, Jeju Office), the number of employed people aged 15 and older in Jeju last month was 414,000, up only 5,000 from the same month last year. This marked the lowest increase since December of last year. The employment rate stood at 71.8%, a 0.9 percentage point rise from a year earlier, yet this represented a 0.3 percentage point drop compared to the previous month, turning downward for the first time in six months.

Analyzing employment by age group, those aged 60 and above drove headline indicators with an increase of 6,000 people, supported by those in their 50s (up 4,000) and young people aged 15–29 (up 2,000). In stark contrast, core regional economic contributors in their 30s and 40s saw employment numbers decrease by 3,000 each compared to a year earlier.

By industry, employment polarization was especially apparent. Jobs increased in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (up 6,000), construction (up 4,000), and manufacturing (up 1,000). Meanwhile, employment in wholesale, retail, accommodation, and restaurants—the backbone industries of Jeju—plunged by 4,000, marking a steep decline for the second consecutive month.

This trend is analyzed as a direct reflection of major headwinds: the dramatic surge in fuel surcharges and reduced flight capacity to Jeju due to instability in the Middle East led to a drop of more than 90,000 visitors (including a decline of 110,000 domestic tourists) to Jeju last month compared to a year earlier. In addition, 4,000 jobs were lost in the electricity, transportation, communications, and finance sectors, further exacerbating employment weakness in the island's face-to-face service self-employment sector.

Notably, all qualitative employment indicators have turned red, signaling the acceleration of a qualitative downturn. By employment status, the number of wage workers fell by 3,000 overall as stable regular employees shrank by 4,000 and daily workers by 1,000, while only temporary employees increased by 2,000.

Conversely, non-wage workers—outside the employment safety net—soared by 8,000, driven by significant increases among self-employed people (up 6,000) and unpaid family workers (up 3,000), highlighting the fragility of the region's employment structure. Meanwhile, the average number of hours worked per week dropped to 37.0, down 0.9 hours from a year ago, indicating a slump in Jeju's local labor market.

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people in Jeju last month stood at 7,000, down 1,000 year-on-year, with the unemployment rate at 1.6%.

While these employment indicators outwardly show a "13th consecutive month of employment growth," they vividly reveal that the stagnation of Jeju's core industry—tourism—and weak domestic demand are maximizing downward pressure on employment. Of particular concern is the qualitative worsening of the employment structure, with quality jobs like regular positions decreasing and only marginal jobs—such as self-employment and temporary workers—increasing. The loss of jobs among the core productive population in their 30s and 40s, who form the backbone of Jeju’s economy, poses a grave threat to the very foundation of the region’s economic vitality.

Given the increasingly high risk of employment instability due to economic fluctuations within the region, jobseekers are expressing heightened concerns, and it appears that relevant administrative authorities urgently need to strengthen proactive employment safety nets and enhance monitoring of the local economy.

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