30,000 Jobs Added in Q1... But Young Workers in Their 20s See 14 Straight Quarters of Decline

Ministry of Data and Statistics Releases Q1 Wage Employment Trends
Semiconductor Boom Brings Only 5,000 Additional Jobs

In the first quarter of this year, the number of wage-paying jobs increased by approximately 300,000, led mainly by workers in their 30s and those aged 60 and above. However, jobs for those in their 20s and younger continued to decline, marking 14 consecutive quarters of decrease—a trend that demonstrates the ongoing employment cold wave for young people. Even the semiconductor industry, which is experiencing an unprecedented boom, added only 5,000 jobs, resulting in only a marginal increase in its share within the entire manufacturing sector.

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According to the “Trends in Wage-paying Jobs for the First Quarter of 2026” released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on August 24, as of February this year, the total number of wage-paying jobs stood at 20,828,000, up 292,000 from the same period a year earlier. This is the largest increase in two years since the first quarter of 2024, when the figure rose by 314,000. The growth in the number of wage-paying jobs hit a record low of just 15,000 in the first quarter of last year, but rebounded to 111,000 in the second quarter, 139,000 in the third, and 221,000 in the fourth, with the upward trend continuing into this year.

Jobs held continuously by the same worker from the previous year were counted at 15,416,000 (74.0%), while replacement jobs, where a different worker filled the role due to resignation or transfer, made up 3,186,000 (15.3%). New jobs created by business openings or expansions accounted for 2,226,000 (10.7%), whereas 1,934,000 jobs disappeared due to company closures or business downsizing.

A breakdown by age shows that jobs for those in their 20s and younger shrank by 76,000. This marks 14 consecutive quarters of decline since the fourth quarter of 2022. Contributing factors include the delayed entry of young people into the workforce as they focus on building qualifications, as well as companies’ preference for hiring experienced workers over new entrants. Jobs for those in their 40s, which are affected by declining demographics, also dropped by 19,000.

By contrast, the number of jobs for those aged 60 and above increased by 233,000, the sharpest rise among all age groups. Jobs for those in their 30s (up 115,000) and 50s (up 40,000) also grew. Notably, for those in their 30s, the previous quarter’s record increase of 99,000 was surpassed in just one quarter. This trend reflects the ongoing shift of labor market entry from the 20s to the 30s age bracket.

Among all jobs, the largest share by age group was among workers in their 50s at 23.0%, followed by those in their 40s (22.2%), 30s (21.9%), 60 and above (19.2%), and 20s and younger (13.6%).

By industry, construction jobs continued their decline, decreasing by 52,000. In contrast, there was a notable increase in jobs in healthcare and social welfare services (up 127,000), accommodation and food services (up 59,000), and professional, scientific, and technical services (up 37,000). A Ministry of Data and Statistics official added, “The rise in jobs in the accommodation and restaurant sector was positively influenced by an increase in inbound foreign tourists.”

The industry with the largest share of total jobs was manufacturing, accounting for 20.6%, followed by healthcare and social welfare services (13.4%), wholesale and retail trade (10.5%), construction (7.9%), and business services and leasing (7.0%).

The semiconductor sector, despite experiencing its greatest boom ever, saw the number of wage-paying jobs grow by only 5,000—ranking second among detailed manufacturing sub-sectors, following other food products (up 6,000). In terms of growth rate, semiconductors posted 2.8%, which was lower than that of seafood processing (3.9%), other food products (3.7%), and fruit and vegetable processing (3.7%).

Within the entire manufacturing industry, jobs in the semiconductor sector accounted for 4.1%, up 0.1 percentage points from a year earlier. However, this was still below that of new car parts (7.1%) and at a similar level to other food products (4.1%). This suggests that despite the strong economic performance of the semiconductor sector, its effect on job creation is relatively limited.

According to a cross-analysis by age and industry, job losses for those in their 20s and younger were concentrated in manufacturing (down 26,000), public administration (down 14,000), and information and communications (down 14,000). For those aged 60 and above, there was a marked increase in jobs in healthcare and social welfare services (up 93,000) and manufacturing (up 27,000).

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