The number of employed people in April rose by 74,000 from a year earlier. The increase was the smallest in 16 months, and analysts said the "Middle East war" appears to have had some impact on the job market.
On the 13th, the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) released the April 2026 employment trends, showing that the total number of employed people last month was 28,961,000, up 74,000 from the same month a year earlier. The increase narrowed sharply from February (234,000) and March (206,000), the smallest since December 2024 (-52,000).
By industry, the Middle East war appears to have affected the job market last month. The number of employed in transportation and warehousing increased by 18,000, a sharp slowdown from a 75,000 increase the previous month. Bin Hyeon-jun, Director General of the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) Social Statistics Bureau, said, "It appears that the rise in oil prices and the decline in cargo volume due to the Middle East war had an impact."
Accommodation and food services (-29,000) and wholesale and retail (-52,000) also fell. The data agency said this, too, is linked to a drop in the consumer sentiment index caused by the Middle East war.
In addition, the number of employed fell in professional, scientific and technical services (-115,000), agriculture, forestry and fisheries (-92,000), and manufacturing (-55,000). Professional, scientific and technical services posted the biggest decline since the 2013 industry classification revision. Bin, the Director General, said it was a "base effect" after more than four years of sustained increases.
The employment rate for those ages 15–64 (OECD comparison standard) was 70%, up 0.1 percentage point (p) from a year earlier. The unemployment rate was 2.9%, unchanged from a year earlier. The 15–64 employment rate was the highest for April since related statistics began in 1989, and the unemployment rate was the second lowest since June 1999.
By contrast, job conditions for young people (ages 15–29) remained weak. The youth employment rate was 43.7%, down 1.6 percentage points. This marks a decline for 24 consecutive months, the longest downturn since a 51-month slide from September 2005 to November 2009 during the global financial crisis. The youth unemployment rate was 7.1%, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier.
The economically inactive population—neither employed nor unemployed—was 16,152,000, up 174,000 from a year earlier. It increased among those in school or taking courses (+96,000) and in household duties (+64,000). The number of people who said they "took a break" was 2,497,000, up 63,000, with increases only among those 60 and older across all age groups.
However, the number of discouraged workers last month was 353,000, up 15,000. This was the first increase in five months since December last year. Bin, the Director General, said, "As job conditions slowed, people who had been unemployed appear to have moved into the economically inactive population, particularly becoming discouraged workers."