Last month's unemployment rate hit 4.1%, the highest since 2000. The number of unemployed people was 1,217,000, the most since related statistics began in June 1999. However, the annual unemployment rate was 2.8%, the same as the previous year.
According to the "December 2025 and annual employment trends" that the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) released on the 14th, last month's unemployment rate was 4.1%, up 0.3 percentage points (p) from the same month a year earlier. This is the record high for December since December 2000 (4.4%) and the same level as December 2020 (4.1%). During the same period, the number of unemployed people was 1,217,000, up 9.2% from a year earlier.
An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said, "Employment conditions are weak in accommodation and food services, manufacturing, and construction, which have a high share of youth employment, and those in their 40s were counted as unemployed at the initial stage as demand to enter the labor market increased," and noted, "Those in their 60s were temporarily taking a break from work and were classified as unemployed due to the end of senior jobs at year-end."
The total number of employed people last month was 28,209,000, up 168,000 from the same month a year earlier. The increase slowed compared with the previous three months (193,000–312,000). The monthly change in the number of employed recorded minus 52,000 in December last year due to the fallout from the martial law crisis, then showed increases for 12 consecutive months this year.
By age group, employment increased among teenagers, those in their 30s, and those 60 and older, but decreased among those in their 20s and 40s. By industry, the number of employed in construction (-63,000) and manufacturing (-63,000) continued to decline for 20 and 18 consecutive months, respectively. In contrast, health and social welfare services led job growth, adding 220,000 employed. Transportation and warehousing (72,000) and arts, sports and recreation-related services (55,000) also increased.
The employment rate for ages 15–64 (OECD comparison basis) was 69.6%, up 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier, a record high for December.
Among the economically inactive population, the number of people who were "taking a break" was 2,649,000, up 124,000 from a year earlier. It increased across all age groups except teenagers and those in their 30s.
On an annual basis, the total number of employed people was 28,769,000, up 193,000 (0.7%) from the previous year. On an annual basis, the number of employed increased by the 100,000 range for the second straight year.
The employment rate for the total population aged 15 and over was 62.9%, up 0.2 percentage points, and the employment rate for ages 15–64 (OECD basis) was 69.8%, up 0.3 percentage points. Both indicators are at the highest levels since related statistics began.
The annual number of unemployed people was 830,000, up 7,000 (0.9%) from the previous year. The unemployment rate was 2.8%, the same as the previous year.
Last year, the number of people taking a break was 2,555,000, up 3.6%. The number of people in their 30s taking a break (309,000) was the largest on record, and the number in their 20s (408,000) was the highest since 2020, during the COVID-19 period.