Korea adds 74,000 jobs in April, lowest in 16 months

Job seekers read a bulletin board at an employment exhibition in Incheon, west of Seoul, April 28. Yonhap

Korea added 74,000 jobs in April, marking the slowest growth in 16 months in the aftermath of the Middle East conflict, which led to higher oil prices and weaker consumers' sentiment, data showed Wednesday.

The number of employed people came to 28.96 million in April, compared with 28.88 million a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

It marked the weakest performance since posting a 52,000 on-year drop in December 2024.

Job growth had expanded in the 200,000 range in February and March.

The country's jobless rate came to 2.9 percent last month, unchanged from a year earlier. The number of unemployed people totaled 853,000 in April, down 2,000.

The ministry said the unemployment rate fell among people in their 20s and 50s but rose for those in their 30s.

The employment rate for South Koreans aged 15 to 64 came to 70 percent in April, down 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier.

The employment rate for all South Koreans aged 15 and above reached 63 percent, down 0.2 percentage point.

By sector, the number of jobs in the health and social welfare services sector increased 261,000 from a year earlier, while the arts, sports and recreation-related services sector added 54,000 jobs. The real estate sector gained 49,000 jobs.

In contrast, the science and technical services sector shed 115,000 jobs, and the manufacturing sector lost 55,000 jobs.

The ministry noted the record decrease in the science sector, which was first separately categorized in 2013, was largely due to a base effect following strong job growth in recent years.

The transportation and storage industry added 18,000 jobs, slowing from an increase of 75,000 in March.

"The transportation and storage industry includes parcel and delivery services, which were affected by higher oil prices. Export and import volumes also declined from a year earlier," a senior official at the data ministry said.

The number of economically inactive people went up 174,000 from a year earlier. The number of people reporting that they were not working and simply resting went up 63,000 to 2.49 million, according to the latest findings.

During a separate release, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said the government plans to provide tailored support measures for young people and seniors to help strengthen job security.

"We plan to closely monitor employment conditions in the private sector and come up with countermeasures to respond to industrial transitions driven by the adoption and promotion of artificial intelligence technology," the finance ministry said.

The finance ministry added that cash handouts aimed at easing the burden on people hit by soaring fuel prices, along with other projects included in the extra budget, are expected to help improve employment data down the road.

Risks are expected to persist, however, due to the prolonged crisis in the Middle East, it said.