Yonhap News21 minutes agoBusiness1 min readSouth Korea

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

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South Korea added 139,000 jobs in October versus a year earlier, exceeding 100,000 for the fourth straight month, with total employment at 29.17 million and unemployment at 2 percent, down 0.2 percentage point annually.

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Why It Matters

South Korea's job market turned positive in June after a decline of 40,000 jobs in May, which was the first drop in 17 months. October data continues the trend of monthly job growth above 100,000.

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SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- South 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.

Open Questions

Which specific sectors contributed most to the job gains?
What factors drove the decline in youth employment?
What is the government's policy response to the youth employment drop?

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

Quick Look

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

South Korea's job market turned positive in June after a decline of 40,000 jobs in May, which was the first drop in 17 months. October data continues the trend of monthly job growth above 100,000.

Font size

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.

Open Questions

Which specific sectors contributed most to the job gains?
What factors drove the decline in youth employment?
What is the government's policy response to the youth employment drop?

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

Quick Look

Why It Matters

Open Questions

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

Quick Look

Why It Matters

Open Questions

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