Current Employment Situation, May 2025
1. In May 2025, the employment rate for those aged 15 and above was 63.8%, up 0.3%p from the previous year, and the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 reached 70.5%, rising by 0.5%p year-on-year. The labor force participation rate stood at 65.6%, increasing by 0.2%p from the previous year, and the unemployment rate was 2.8%, showing a 0.2%p decline from a year ago.
* Employment Indicators for May (2024→2025, %): Employment rate: 63.5 → 63.8 Labor force participation rate: 65.4 → 65.6 Unemployment rate: 3.0 → 2.8
By age group, the employment rate picked up for those in their 30s (81.2%, +1.1%p), 40s (80.2%, +1.0%p), and those aged 60 and over (48.3%, +0.9%p), while it decreased for the youth (46.2%, -0.7%p) and those in their 50s (77.6%, -0.5%p).
2. The number of employed persons went up by 245,000 compared to the previous year. By industry, employment moved up in the service sector (+606,000 → +549,000), whereas it moved down in construction (-150,000 → -106,000), manufacturing (-124,000 → -67,000) and agriculture, forestry and fisheries (-134,000→ -135,000). By employment status, both regular (+279,000 → +362,000) and temporary workers (+52,000 → +25,000) continued to rise, while daily workers went down (-54,000 → -59,000).
* Growth/decline in the number of employed persons (year-on-year, ten thousand): (Apr, 2024) +26.1 (May) +8.0 (Jun) +9.6 (H2, 2024) +9.9 (Jan, 2025) +13.5 (Feb) +13.6 (Mar) +19.3
(Apr) +19.4 (May) +24.5
3. The number of employed persons recorded double-digit growth for the fifth consecutive month, marking the largest gain in 13 months since April 2024 (+261,000). The labor force participation rate and employment rate for those aged 15 and over, as well as the employment rate for those aged 15-64 (70.5%), all reached all-time highs on a monthly basis since statistics began. Notably, the employment rate for those 15-64 age group surpassed 70% for the first time in 12 months.
By industry, the easing of declines in the manufacturing and construction sectors contributed to the overall increase in employment. In manufacturing, the decline in employment narrowed due to factors such as an increase in average daily exports. In construction, the contraction moderated largely due to a base effect from a sharp drop in employment in May 2024 (+5,000 in April 2024 → -47,000 in May 2024).
The service sector maintained a solid upward trend, although the pace of growth slowed compared to the previous month. Employment in public administration and health and social services continued to rise, supported by direct job creation programs and growing demand for care services. In contrast, employment in accommodation and food services fell for the first time in 15 months, reflecting sustained weakness in domestic demand.
Although labor market conditions for young people remain challenging as indicated in continued drops in youth employment (-174,000 → -150,000) and the youth employment rate (-0.9%p → -0.7%p), the pace of decline has moderated compared to the previous month.
4. The government plans to further intensify its policy efforts to boost job creation through revitalizing domestic demand and nurturing emerging industries, while also enhancing employment opportunities for vulnerable groups such as the youth.
Significant efforts will be made to support economic recovery and bolster consumer purchasing power through the prompt formulation of a supplementary budget proposal.
The government will also expand its capacity to create quality private-sector jobs over the mid- to long term by focusing on the development of next-generation high-tech industries such as AI.
Furthermore, the government will steadily implement youth employment programs such as work experience opportunities and vocational training to ensure employment stability for vulnerable groups including young people, and at the same time continuously strengthen employment services for unemployed and economically inactive youth.
Please refer to the attached files.