Lead

South Korea added 63,000 jobs in June from a year earlier, marking the first rebound in two months, according to government data released Wednesday. The number of employed people reached 29.15 million, up from 29.09 million a year earlier, as reported by Yonhap News.

Coverage Comparison

The latest figures, published by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, showed job growth had remained in the 200,000 range in February and March before slowing to 74,000 in April. In May, employment contracted by 40,000, the first decline in 17 months. The June rebound reverses that trend, although the manufacturing sector continued to lose ground.

Key Claims

  • Overall employment: South Korea added 63,000 jobs in June from a year earlier, bringing the total employed to 29.15 million.
  • Unemployment: The jobless rate was 2.8 percent in June, unchanged from a year earlier. The number of unemployed people rose by 10,000 to 834,000.
  • Youth employment: The employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 fell 1.7 percentage points to 43.9 percent.
  • Older workers: The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 edged down 0.1 percentage point to 70.2 percent, while the rate for those 65 and older rose 0.8 percentage point to 41.8 percent.
  • Sectoral changes: The health and social welfare services sector added 214,000 jobs, while arts, sports, and recreation services rose by 55,000. Transportation and logistics added 48,000. In contrast, manufacturing lost 97,000 jobs, marking the 24th consecutive month of year-on-year decline. Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries shed 95,000 jobs.
  • Inactivity: The number of economically inactive people increased by 181,000 from a year earlier, including a rise of 5,000 to 2.43 million people who reported they were not working and simply resting.