How many temporary and daily workers were there in Korea in the third quarter, and how did the figures change?

The combined number was 5.73 million, down 95,000 from a year earlier. Daily workers fell by 38,000 to 833,000, while temporary workers declined by 57,000 to 4.89 million.

Why did the number of daily workers in Korea fall in the third quarter?

The decline was largely attributed to weak employment in construction. Daily construction workers decreased by 28,000 to 381,000, accounting for 74.6 percent of the overall drop in daily workers.

Which industries had the largest declines in temporary workers in Korea in the third quarter?

Accommodation and food services recorded the largest decline, with 30,000 fewer temporary workers. Construction and information and communications each shed 22,000 temporary workers.

Korea's temporary jobs fall to 31-year Q3 low

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Summary

Temporary and daily workers in Korea fell in the July-September period amid a prolonged construction slump, reaching their lowest third-quarter level since 1995. The combined total declined by 95,000 from a year earlier to 5.73 million. Daily construction workers accounted for 74.6 percent of the overall decline in daily workers, while temporary-worker numbers also fell across several industries.

Key Facts

Daily workers numbered 833,000, down 38,000 from a year earlier and the lowest third-quarter figure on record.
Daily construction workers fell by 28,000 to 381,000.
Workers in their 50s recorded the sharpest decline among daily workers, falling by 21,000.
Temporary workers, whose contracts last at least one month but less than a year, fell by 57,000 to 4.89 million.
Temporary employment declined by 30,000 in accommodation and food services and by 22,000 each in construction and information and communications.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 25, 2026 10:11 am KST

Visitors browse job postings at the Seoul Middle-Aged Job Fair 2026 held at aT Center in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The number of temporary and daily workers in Korea fell to its lowest third-quarter level in 31 years amid a prolonged construction slump, government data showed Sunday.

The combined figure dropped by 95,000 from a year earlier to 5.73 million in the July-September period, the lowest third-quarter level since 1995, according to an analysis of microdata from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Of the total, the number of daily workers fell by 38,000 to a record third-quarter low of 833,000, largely due to weak employment in the construction sector.

Daily construction workers declined by 28,000 to 381,000, accounting for 74.6 percent of the overall drop. Those in their 50s saw the sharpest decline, down 21,000.

The number of temporary workers, whose contracts last at least one month but less than a year, fell by 57,000 to 4.89 million in the three-month period.

By industry, the accommodation and food services sector recorded the largest decline in temporary workers, down 30,000, followed by construction, and information and communications, which shed 22,000 each.

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