The number of employed people in August rose by 184,000 from a year earlier. The employment rate for those ages 15 to 64 was 70.4%, the highest for August since the statistics began in 1989. But the number of employed young people (ages 15 to 29) fell by 143,000, marking a decline for 46 consecutive months. It is the longest downturn since the 62-month slide from Nov. 2004 to Dec. 2009, when the financial crisis occurred.
According to the "Employment trends for August 2026" that the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) released on the 9th, the number of employed people ages 15 and older last month was 29,151,000, up 184,000 from the same month a year earlier, logging gains for three straight months. The scale of the increase also widened from 63,000 in June to 108,000 in July and 184,000 in August.
The employment rate for those ages 15 to 64 was 70.4%, up 0.5 percentage points from a year earlier. It is the highest level for August since the related statistics began in 1989. The overall employment rate for those ages 15 and older was 63.3%, unchanged from a year earlier, but the highest for August since monthly statistics began in July 1982.
In contrast, youth employment indicators worsened. The number of employed people ages 15 to 29 was 3,428,000, down 143,000 from a year earlier. The number of employed young people has been falling for 46 months since Nov. 2022. This is the longest decline since the 62 straight months from Nov. 2004 to Dec. 2009 during the financial crisis.
The youth unemployment rate was 5.4%, up 0.5 percentage points from a year earlier. It is the highest level in four years since Aug. 2022. The number of unemployed young people was 195,000, up 11,000, rising for four consecutive months. The youth employment rate was 44.1%, down 1.0 percentage points from a year earlier.
The youth employment rate has fallen for 28 consecutive months. The youth labor force participation rate was 46.6%, down 0.8 percentage points, the lowest since Aug. 2020 (46.4%). The number of employed young people decreased in information and communications, health and welfare, and manufacturing, while it increased in arts, sports and leisure, and finance and insurance.
An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said, "As the decline in the youth employment rate continues, there was an application period for civil service exams during the survey period, and the number of applicants for the police and Grade-7 local civil service, among others, increased compared with the past," and noted, "It appears that an expansion of hiring in the public sector and an increase in new job openings had a combined effect."
By industry, the number of employed people decreased in agriculture, forestry and fisheries; accommodation and food service; and manufacturing. In contrast, employment increased in health and welfare; arts, sports and leisure; and business facilities management and business support.
In particular, employment in accommodation and food service fell by 71,000. It is the largest drop in 13 months since a decline of 71,000 in July last year. Employment in agriculture, forestry and fisheries fell by 109,000. It is the largest drop in three months since a decline of 121,000 in May.
An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said, "In the case of accommodation and food service, a base effect from the consumption coupon impact that appeared starting in Aug. last year played a role, and in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, in addition to structural factors such as depopulation and aging in rural and fishing communities, there were effects such as moves to other industries due to rising production costs."
The economically inactive population was 16,297,000, up 77,000 from a year earlier. By activity status, the increases were larger among those in schooling or training (80,000) and the elderly (69,000). Among young people, the economically inactive population decreased, and the so-called "took a break" population also declined. An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said, "Amid the rise in the youth unemployment rate, some of the existing 'took a break' population may have moved into unemployment."