The number of employed people in November rose by 225,000 from a year earlier. But continued weakness in manufacturing and construction hurt youth employment.
According to the "Employment trends for November 2025" released by the National Data Office on the 10th, the total number of employed people last month was 29,046,000, up 225,000 from a year earlier. The increase was smaller than in September (312,000) but larger than in October (193,000).
The employment rate for those ages 15 to 64 (OECD comparison standard) rose 0.3 percentage points (p) to 70.2%, marking a record high for November since statistics began in 1981. The unemployment rate was 2.2%, the same as a year earlier.
By age group, employment increased among those 60 and older (333,000) and those in their 30s (76,000), while youth (ages 15 to 29) fell by 177,000 from a year earlier. The youth employment rate fell 1.2 percentage points to 44.3%, while the youth unemployment rate held near last year's level at 5.5%.
The government cited weakness in construction and manufacturing employment as the reason youth employment worsened. Jang Juseong, a director in the personnel policy division at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF), said, "As construction and manufacturing, which have a high share of youth employment, face an economic slump, it is adding to the burden on youth employment, which had been weak."
Specifically, the number of employed in construction fell by 132,000 last month, extending a decline for 19 consecutive months. The drop widened from the previous month (-123,000). Manufacturing (-41,000) fell for the 17th straight month, but the decline was the smallest since Oct. last year.
In contrast, health and social welfare services added 281,000 jobs, leading the employment gains. Business facilities management, business support and rental services (63,000), and arts, sports and leisure-related services (61,000) also posted notable increases.
Among wage earners, the number of regular employees increased by 258,000 and temporary employees by 65,000, while daily workers decreased by 29,000. Among non-wage earners, self-employed with employees increased by 75,000, but self-employed without employees (-112,000) and unpaid family workers (-32,000) decreased.
Among the economically inactive population, those classified as "took a break" numbered 2,543,000, up 124,000. In particular, the number of people in their 30s who "took a break" reached 314,000, the highest for the month on record.