Roundup: S. Korea's employment rises 168,000 on year in December

SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's employment rose for the 12th straight month due to an increase in elderly jobs, statistical ministry data showed Wednesday.

The number of employed people aged 15 and older gained 168,000, or 0.6 percent, from a year earlier to 28,209,000 in December of 2025, continuing to grow since last January, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

The number of jobs for those aged 60 and older expanded by 241,000 in December on a yearly basis, while the figure for those in their 30s climbed 83,000.

Employment among those in their 20s, 40s, and 50s reduced by 140,000, 33,000, and 11,000 each.

The number of jobs in the health and social welfare service, the transportation and warehousing, and the arts, sports and leisure service industries picked up 220,000, 72,000, and 55,000 each.

Employment among manufacturers declined by 63,000 in December from a year earlier, keeping a downward trend for the 18th successive month.

Jobs lost in the construction industry reached 63,000, continuing to go down for the 20th consecutive month.

The number of regular and daily laborers went up 195,000 and 25,000 each, but the reading for irregular employees diminished by 7,000 last month.

The number of the self-employed who hired employees added 34,000, but the figure for the self-employed without workers dwindled by 23,000.

Employment rate for those aged 15 and older was up 0.1 percentage point to 61.5 percent in December on a yearly basis, while the OECD-method hiring rate for those aged 15-64 mounted 0.2 percentage points to 69.6 percent.

The number of unemployed people totaled 1,217,000 in December, up 103,000 from a year earlier. Unemployment rate increased 0.3 percentage points to 4.1 percent.

The expanded jobless rate was unchanged at 9.7 percent in the cited month, while the corresponding rate for those aged 15-29 retreated 0.4 percentage points to 15.6 percent.

The official unemployment rate gauges those who are immediately available for work but failed to get a job for the past four weeks despite efforts to seek a job actively.

The expanded jobless rate, called the labor underutilization indicator, adds those who are discouraged from searching for a job, those who work part-time against their will to work full-time, and those who prepare to get a job after college graduation, to the official unemployment rate.

The economically inactive population, who had no willingness to seek a job and remained unemployed, sank 49,000 from a year earlier to 16,448,000 in December.

The reading for discouraged job seekers shrank 30,000 to 328,000 last month.

The number of the "take-a-rest" group, who replied that they took a rest during a job survey period, grew 124,000 to 2,649,000 in the same month.

The take-a-rest group is considered important as it can include those who are too discouraged to seek a job for an extended period. ■