How much did regular employment among workers aged 60 and older increase in Korea in Q3?

The number of regular employees aged 60 and older rose by 125,573 from a year earlier. That increase represented 74.9 percent of the total year-over-year rise in regular employment.

How long has regular employment among people in their 20s been declining in Korea?

The number of regular employees in their 20s fell by 82,836 in the third quarter compared with a year earlier. It was the 15th consecutive quarter of decline, a streak that began in the first quarter of 2023.

How many people in their 20s and 30s were classified as resting in Korea’s August survey?

About 680,000 people in their 20s and 30s were not employed and were classified as resting in the ministry’s August survey.

Regular employment rises among older workers in Q3, falls among youth

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Summary

Regular employment in Korea rose by 167,628 year over year to 16.84 million in the third quarter, with workers aged 60 and older accounting for most of the increase. Employment among people in their 20s and 30s declined. The statistics ministry said the increase among older workers reflected the country’s aging population.

Key Facts

Workers aged 60 and older accounted for 74.9 percent of the year-over-year increase in regular employees, although they made up less than 14 percent of all regular employees.
The number of regular employees in their 20s fell by 82,836 year over year, marking the 15th consecutive quarterly decline since the first quarter of 2023.
Regular employment among people in their 30s fell by 3,711 from a year earlier, despite an increase of 81,433 in that age group’s population.
An August ministry survey found that about 680,000 people in their 20s and 30s were not employed and were classified as resting.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 8, 2026 12:10 pm KST

Job seekers look at job postings during a job fair in Guro Ward in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

More than 70 percent of the increase in regular employees in Korea in the third quarter came from workers aged 60 and older, while the figure for workers in their 20s and 30s declined, the statistics ministry said Sunday.

The number of regular workers came to 16.84 million in the July-September period, up 167,628 from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

While those in their 60s and older made up less than 14 percent of all regular employees, the number of workers in this age group rose by 125,573 from a year earlier.

This accounted for 74.9 percent of the total on-year increase, reflecting the country's aging population.

Meanwhile, regular employment among younger workers continued to decline.

The number of regular employees in their 20s fell by 82,836 in the third quarter from a year earlier, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of decline since the first quarter of 2023.

The figure for those in their 30s also declined by 3,711 from last year despite an increase of 81,433 in population.

An August survey conducted by the ministry showed that about 680,000 people in their 20s and 30s were not employed and were "resting."

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