September Employment Rises by 110,000... Manufacturing Rebounds, but Youth Jobs Freeze Persists (Comprehensive)

The number of employed people increased by more than 110,000 last month compared with a year earlier, marking a third consecutive month of double-digit growth. Employment in manufacturing, a key job-creating industry, rebounded for the first time in two years and three months. By contrast, employment among young people declined for the 47th consecutive month, as a jobs freeze continued.

Bin Hyeonjun, director-general of the Social Statistics Bureau at the Ministry of Data and Statistics, presents the September 2026 employment trends at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City on the 16th. Yonhap News Agency.

According to the September 2026 Employment Trends released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on October 16, the number of employed people aged 15 and older last month stood at 29,266,000, up 113,000 from the same period a year earlier. Employment growth ranged from 100,000 to 200,000 from January through March this year, but slowed to 74,000 in April and fell by 40,000 in May. It turned upward in June, with an increase of 63,000, followed by increases of 108,000 in July and 184,000 in August, keeping the monthly gains in the 100,000s for three consecutive months. However, the increase was considerably smaller than the previous month.

By industry, manufacturing employment rose by 16,000, marking its first increase since June 2024, when it gained 9,000. This ended a 26-month streak of declines. Bin Hyunjun, Director-General of the Social Statistics Bureau at the Ministry of Data and Statistics, explained, "Although employment fell in areas such as automobiles and textile products, it rose in chemical products, metal processing products, and other transport equipment, turning positive for the first time in 27 months."

Employment gains were concentrated in human health and social work activities (207,000), transportation and storage (54,000), and financial and insurance activities (32,000). By contrast, weakness continued in sectors tied to domestic demand. Employment in accommodation and food services fell by 97,000, the largest decline in five years and seven months. Declines were also seen in agriculture, forestry and fishing (94,000) and education services (53,000).

The jobs freeze among young people continued. Employment among people aged 15 to 29 fell by 147,000, marking a 47th consecutive month of decline. The employment rate for young people was 44.0%, down 1.1 percentage points. The decline widened slightly from the previous month, marking a 29th consecutive month of decreases.

The total number of unemployed people was 600,000, down 34,000 from the same month last year. The unemployment rate was 2.0%, down 0.1 percentage points. The economically inactive population increased by 179,000 to 16,188,000. Among them, the number of people classified as "taking a break" fell by 25,000. The number of young people in this category declined for the eighth consecutive month.

An official from the Ministry of Finance and Economy said, "Despite the base effect of a sharp increase in employment last September (312,000), growth of more than 100,000 has continued for three consecutive months." The official added, "However, difficulties persist in vulnerable groups and sluggish sectors, including young people, construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing. Rising tensions in the Middle East could also act as a downside risk going forward."

The government plans to focus on implementing three key social policies in the employment sector to provide more stable support for the recent increase in employment and spread the benefits of economic growth to people's livelihoods. It also plans to continuously monitor employment conditions in struggling industries while pursuing a range of responses, including boosting industrial vitality, developing the workforce, expanding jobs and start-ups, improving working conditions, and strengthening the employment base.

Kwon Daeyoung, First Vice Minister of Finance and Economy, said, "We will swiftly develop a plan to implement the 'National Jobs Project,' which will include private- and public-sector jobs and sufficient training opportunities, mobilizing all the capabilities of relevant ministries so that the benefits of economic growth lead to tangible results in people's lives. We will not only expand existing measures but also actively develop new policies."

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