How many jobs did Korea add in October, and how many people were employed?

Korea added 139,000 jobs compared with a year earlier, bringing the number of employed people to 29.17 million, up from 29.04 million in October 2025.

How did Korea’s employment growth change in the months before October?

Job growth returned to positive territory in June after a decline of 40,000 in May, the first drop in 17 months. Monthly gains then exceeded 100,000 for four consecutive months through October.

What happened to employment rates for young people and working-age adults in Korea in October?

The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 increased 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier to 70.4 percent. For people aged 15 to 29, it fell 1.7 percentage points to 42.9 percent.

Korea adds 139,000 jobs in October, above 100,000 for 4th month

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Summary

Korea added 139,000 jobs in October, government data showed Wednesday, with employment growth above 100,000 for a fourth consecutive month. The number of employed people reached 29.17 million, while the jobless rate was 2 percent. The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 rose year on year, but the rate for those aged 15 to 29 fell.

Key Facts

Job growth turned positive in June after employment declined by 40,000 in May, the first drop in 17 months.
There were 602,000 unemployed people in October, 56,000 fewer than in the same month of 2025.
The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 was 70.4 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier.
The employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 fell 1.7 percentage points year on year to 42.9 percent.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 11, 2026 8:19 am KST

Job seekers fill out resumes at a job fair in the southeastern port city of Busan, Tuesday. Yonhap

Korea added 139,000 jobs in October from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, with job growth exceeding the 100,000 mark for the fourth consecutive month.

The number of employed people came to 29.17 million in October, compared with 29.04 million a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Job growth turned positive in June after declining by 40,000 in May, the first drop in 17 months.

The country's jobless rate came to 2 percent last month, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier.

The number of unemployed people totaled 602,000 in October, down 56,000 from the same month in 2025.

The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 came to 70.4 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier.

The figure for those aged 15 to 29, on the other hand, fell 1.7 percentage points to 42.9 percent.

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