South Korea: Employment
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
The most recent value is 29.09 million employed people as of June 2025, a decline compared to the previous value of 29.16 million employed people. Historically, the average for South Korea from June 1999 to June 2025 is 24.85 million employed people. The minimum of 20.21 million employed people was recorded in January 2000, while the maximum of 29.16 million employed people was reached in May 2025.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
- Measure: million employed people
- Source: Korean Statistical Information Service
| Recent values | South Korea: Employment, million people |
|---|---|
| 2025 Jun | 29.09 |
| 2025 May | 29.16 |
| 2025 Apr | 28.89 |
| 2025 Mar | 28.59 |
| 2025 Feb | 28.18 |
| 2025 Jan | 27.88 |
| 2024 Dec | 28.04 |
| 2024 Nov | 28.82 |
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Definition: The number of people, in millions, engaged in the economy as paid employees or as self-employed.
| Related indicators | Latest | Reference | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor force | 29.70 | 2023 | million people |
| Unemployment rate | 2.60 | 2024 | percent |
| Female unemployment | 2.69 | 2023 | percent |
| Male unemployment | 2.61 | 2023 | percent |
| Youth unemployment | 5.37 | 2023 | percent |
| Labor force participation | 64.51 | 2023 | percent |
| Labor force: percent female | 43.48 | 2023 | percent |
| Female labor force participation | 55.77 | 2023 | percent |
| Male labor force participation | 73.34 | 2023 | percent |
| Hours worked | 1,895.79 | 2023 | hours |
| Self-employment | 23.45 | 2022 | percent |
| Employment | 29.09 | 6/2025 | million employed people |
| Unemployment rate | 2.80 | 6/2025 | percent |
| Labor cost | 138.70 | Q1/2025 | index points |