In January of this year, the number of individuals employed in domestic enterprises decreased by 22,000 compared to the same month last year. This is the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 DAEYU pandemic that the number of enterprise employees did not increase following the compilation of employment sector-related statistics.
According to the results of the January enterprise labor force survey announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 27th, as of the end of January this year, the number of employees in enterprises with one or more individuals was 19,895,000, a decrease of 0.1% (22,000) compared to January of last year (19,916,000).
The shift to a decreasing number of enterprise employees marks the first time in 46 months since March 2021. Previously, the number of enterprise employees decreased from March 2020 to February 2021, which was a consequence of the COVID-19 DAEYU pandemic. Excluding this period, there had been no recorded decrease in the number of enterprise employees since statistics for the employment sector began being compiled in 2009.
In this regard, Kim Jae-hoon, head of the labor market research division at the Ministry of Employment, noted, "It is observed that reductions were made in the wholesale and retail sectors due to the recent construction market recession and weakened consumer sentiment."
By employment status, the number of regular workers in January increased by 12,000 (0.1%) compared to the same month last year. Conversely, temporary and daily workers decreased by 19,000 (1.0%), and other workers by 14,000 (1.2%).
Industries that saw increases include health and social welfare services (84,000, 3.6%), professional, scientific, and technical services (19,000, 1.4%), and real estate (18,000, 4.2%).
Industries that experienced decreases include construction (114,000, 7.8%), wholesale and retail (35,000, 1.5%), and manufacturing (11,000, 0.3%).
In January, the number of entrants to the job market was 1,040,000, down 110,000 (9.6%) compared to the same month last year. The number of departures was 1,125,000, decreasing by 35,000 (3%).
Meanwhile, as of the end of December last year, the total wage per employee was 4,608,000 won, an increase of 4.0% (175,000 won) compared to the same month last year. The total wage per regular employee was 4,918,000 won, which is an increase of 4.2% (196,000 won). However, the figure for temporary and daily workers decreased by 4.4% (83,000 won) to 1,784,000 won.
The real wage per employee, reflecting the price level, is 4,010,000 won, which increased by 2.0% (78,000 won) compared to the same month last year.