In July, the number of employees in domestic enterprises was similar to the same month last year. However, the manufacturing industry, which has the highest employment ratio, has continued its downturn for 22 months, and the construction industry, which is experiencing a prolonged recession, has seen a decline for 13 consecutive months.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of the July enterprise labor force survey on the 30th.
According to the ministry's announcement on that day, the number of employees in domestic enterprises in July was 20,297,000. In June, it had decreased by 15,000 compared to the previous year, but the decline did not continue in July. However, except for May and July this year, there were decreases compared to last year in January (-55,000), February (-8,000), March (-26,000), and April (-2,000).
By employment status, the number of regular workers increased by 3,000 from the same month last year to 17,043,000. The number of temporary and daily workers was 1,966,000, an increase of 17,000. In contrast, the number of other workers decreased by 20,000 to 1,288,000.
By industry, the number of employees in health and social welfare services increased by 85,000 (3.5%), transportation and warehousing increased by 14,000 (1.8%), and professional, scientific, and technical services increased by 14,000 (1%).
In contrast, the manufacturing industry, which accounts for 18% of total industry employees and has the largest share, decreased by 10,000. This marks a continuous decline for 22 months since October 2023. In construction, there was a decrease of 79,000 (5.4%), continuing a decline for 13 consecutive months since June of last year. Additionally, wholesale and retail trade saw a decrease of 35,000 (1.5%), and accommodation and food services decreased by 15,000 (1.2%).
In July, the number of new hires was 878,000. The number of regular employees was 333,000, and temporary and daily workers was 545,000. All decreased by 12,000 compared to the same month last year. The reductions mainly occurred in the accommodation and food services, and wholesale and retail industries.
As of June, the total nominal wage per worker in enterprises with one or more regular workers was 3,971,000 won. This is an increase of 2.8% (110,000 won) compared to the same month last year. After adjusting for inflation, the real wage per worker was 3,414,000 won, which is an increase of 0.7% (23,000 won) from the previous year. Additionally, as of June, the average working hours per worker were 147.2 hours, a decrease of 0.3 hours from the same month last year (147.5 hours).
Kim Jae-hoon, head of the labor market research division of the Ministry of Labor, noted, "The recent slowdown in the decrease of construction workers has led to the number of employees in enterprises last month maintaining a level similar to last year," and added, "Recently, the consumer price index has stabilized, and nominal wages have also risen somewhat, maintaining a degree of stability."