SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - South Korea’s headline job figures for October extended their steady growth but also underscored persistent cracks in youth hiring and a record number of economically idled people in their 30s — a troubling sign for a country already strained by a fast-aging population and chronically low birth rate.
According to data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of employed people added 193,000 from the same month a year ago to reach 29.04 million in October.
Employment among those aged 40 to 49 saw the most notable improvement, with the employment rate rising 0.9 percentage point to 80.4 percent.
In contrast, the rate for people aged 15 to 29 — a key barometer of youth labor conditions — fell 1 percentage point to 44.6 percent, marking the 18th straight month of decline.
The slide coincides with the job slump in manufacturing, which remains critical for hiring.
The overall unemployment rate stood at 2.2 percent, down 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier. But the seasonally adjusted jobless rate, regarded as a clearer gauge of underlying trends, inched up 0.1 percentage point on-year to 2.6 percent.
Employment trends also diverged by gender. The rate for men slipped 0.3 percentage point to 76.4 percent, while that for women climbed 0.8 percentage point to 63.5 percent.
By industry, health and social welfare services added the most positions, up 280,000. Arts, sports and leisure-related services posted the fastest growth pace, increasing 13.9 percent, or by 70,000 jobs.
Service-sector activity strengthened overall, supported by government stimulus vouchers distributed to most households.
Manufacturing shed 51,000 jobs, down 1.2 percent. Construction lost 123,000 positions, a 6 percent drop, while agriculture, forestry and fisheries decreased by 124,000, or 7.8 percent.
By employment type, full-time jobs rose by 286,000 and temporary roles by 79,000, while day labor fell by 55,000.
The economically inactive population — those outside the labor force by choice or due to discouragement — reached 16.12 million, up 38,000 from a year earlier. While inactivity due to childcare or old age declined, the number of people “idled” without a clear reason for not working — typically those who have given up looking — jumped 5.5 percent, or 135,000.
People in their 30s saw the steepest increase among core working-age groups, up 7.7 percent, or 13,000, to 334,000 — the highest level on record. Idling was even more pronounced among those in their 20s, totaling 402,000, up 15,600 from a year earlier.
The number of people who have given up job hunting despite wanting employment rose to 366,000, up 21,000. Active job seekers fell sharply by 38,000, or 6 percent, to 598,000.
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