Korea posts 2nd-slowest wage job growth in Q2 on construction sector, youth employment decline

Jobseekers attend a job fair held in Daegu, Sept. 23. Yonhap

Korea recorded its second-slowest wage job growth in the second quarter, primarily due to a slump in the construction sector and a continued decline in youth employment, government data showed Tuesday.

The number of wage employee positions stood at 20.95 million as of May 2025, up 111,000 from the same period a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

It marked the second smallest quarterly gain since the first quarter of this year when only 15,000 positions were added.

"Although there has been some recovery in the health and social welfare sector, the employment contraction seen in the first quarter continued," a ministry official said.

The increase in wage jobs during the second quarter was mainly driven by employment growth in the health and social welfare sector, which added 134,000 positions compared to a year earlier.

In contrast, the manufacturing industry lost 13,000 positions, continuing a downward trend, while the construction sector shed 141,000 jobs, remaining in negative terrain for seven consecutive quarters, according to the ministry.

A significant share of new positions was taken by senior workers, reflecting the country's aging population.

The number of paid jobs for those in their 60s and older rose by 235,000, while those in their 30s and 50s saw increases of 76,000 and 15,000, respectively.

The slump in construction and manufacturing sectors also hit the youth employment hard, with 135,000 positions lost among workers in their 20s.

Employment for those in their 40s also declined, falling by 80,000.