South Korea added 184,000 jobs in August from a year earlier, the third consecutive monthly increase, as hiring expanded in health care and social welfare services and in arts and sports. The pace of gains widened for a second straight month. The employment rate for young people, however, fell for a 28th consecutive month, extending a sharp divide across age groups.
The number of employed people aged 15 and over stood at 29.151 million last month, up 184,000 from the same month a year earlier, according to the August 2026 employment trends report released by the National Data Office on the 9th. Employment fell by 40,000 in May before rising by 63,000 in June and 108,000 in July, with the increase widening to the 180,000 range last month.
The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 was 70.4%, up 0.5 percentage points from a year earlier. That was the highest August reading since the statistics were first compiled in 1989. The overall employment rate for people aged 15 and over was 63.3%, unchanged from a year earlier. The labor force participation rate also held steady at 64.6%.
By industry, health care and social welfare services led the gains with 186,000 more workers. Arts, sports and recreation-related services added 73,000 jobs, and business facilities management and business support services added 45,000. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries lost 109,000 jobs, while lodging and restaurants shed 61,000 and manufacturing 38,000.
The decline in lodging and restaurants was the steepest in 13 months, since July last year. The data office pointed to base effects from consumption coupons distributed a year earlier. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries also posted its largest drop in three months, since May. Analysts attributed the decline to a shrinking and aging rural population and rising production costs, compounded by August heat waves.
Youth employment remained weak. The employment rate for those aged 15 to 29 fell 1.0 percentage point from a year earlier to 44.1%, declining for a 28th straight month. The number of employed young people dropped by 143,000, marking a 46th consecutive month of decline. The unemployment rate for the same age group rose 0.5 percentage points to 5.4%, the highest August level in four years, since 2022.
The labor force participation rate for young people also fell 0.8 percentage points to 46.6%, the lowest August reading since 2020. The data office said declining employment in industries where young people are relatively concentrated, such as information and communications and manufacturing, weighed on the youth employment rate.
