In the first half of this year, the employment rate for working moms was tallied at 64.3%. It is the highest level since related statistics began in 2016.
According to the Employment status of married women by region in the first half of 2025 released by the National Data Agency on the 20th, among married women (ages 15–54) living with children under 18, the number employed was 2,669,000 and the employment rate was 64.3%, respectively.
The employment rate for working moms has risen for five consecutive years after recording 55.5% in 2020. This year, it also rose 1.9 percentage points from last year.
The employment rate for working moms was lower when children were younger or more numerous. The employment rate for married women with children age 6 or younger was 57.7%. It rose to 66.1% when children were 7–12 and 70.4% when children were 13–17.
Also, the employment rate was 64.6% for those with one or two children, but fell to 60.6% if they had three or more.
An official at the National Data Agency said, "Although the total number of married women has decreased due to late marriage, the employment rate rose as the number of married women living with children under 18 who are employed increased," and noted, "It is assessed that work-life balance policies have had an effect."
As the employment rate of married women rose, the number of "career-discontinued women" fell to an all-time low. Career-discontinued women refers to women who left their jobs due to reasons such as marriage, pregnancy and childbirth, childcare, children's education, or family caregiving.
This year, among married women ages 15–54, the number of career-discontinued women was 1,105,000, down 110,000 from a year earlier. The share of career-discontinued women among married women was 14.9%, down 1 percentage point.
Looking at the reasons for career discontinuation, childcare (44.3%) was the most common. It was followed by marriage (24.2%), pregnancy and childbirth (22.1%), family caregiving (5.1%), and children's education (4.3%).