South Korea added 183,000 jobs in June compared to the previous year, marking the sixth month of continuous employment growth, according to Statistics Korea, Yonhap reports. This brought the total number of employed individuals to 29.09mn. The rise follows a dip in December 2023 when 52,000 jobs were lost, but figures have since rebounded steadily.

The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 climbed by 0.4 percentage points to reach 70.3%. The unemployment rate slightly decreased to 2.8%.

Despite the overall growth, both manufacturing and construction continued to contract. Manufacturing jobs declined by 83,000, marking the twelfth consecutive month of reductions. Construction employment dropped by 97,000, its fourteenth straight month of losses. A government official noted the decrease in manufacturing was less severe than in March and April but slightly worsened from May. Trade uncertainties and tariff discussions with the United States were flagged as ongoing concerns.

The agriculture sector experienced the sharpest decline since November 2015, with 141,000 jobs lost, representing an 8.7% fall. This was largely due to unseasonal cold weather in April and heavy rainfall in June. The accommodation and food services sector also saw a reduction of 38,000 jobs, attributed to weak domestic consumption.

Meanwhile, health and social welfare jobs rose by 216,000. The science and technology services sector added 102,000 roles, while education-related employment increased by 72,000.

Job gains were mainly seen among those aged 60 and above, rising by 348,000. Younger age groups saw declines, particularly those in their 20s. This shift suggests a rapidly ageing workforce is sustaining job growth, while younger generations face growing barriers to stable employment.