1. In November 2025, the employment rate for those aged 15 and above was 63.4%, up 0.2%p from the previous year, and the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 reached 70.2%, rising by 0.3%p year-on-year. The labor force participation rate stood at 64.8%, increasing by 0.2%p from the previous year, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.2%.
* Employment Indicators for November (2024 → 2025, %): Employment rate 63.2 → 63.4
Labor force participation rate 64.6 → 64.8
Unemployment rate 2.2 → 2.2
By age group, the employment rate picked up for those in their 30s (80.9%, +0.2%p), 40s (80.7%, +1.2%p), 50s (78.0%, +0.5%p) and those aged 60 and over (47.9%, +0.6%p), while it decreased for the youth (44.3%, -1.2%p).
As of November, the labor force participation rate and employment rate for those aged 15 and older, as well as the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64, all reached their highest levels on record for the month. For the January-November period, the labor force participation rate (64.7%), overall employment rate (63.0%), and the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 (69.9%) also reached record highs for the corresponding period.
2. The number of employed persons went up by 225,000 compared to the previous year, exceeding the 200,000 for the first time in two months. For the January-November period, it rose by 196,000 from a year earlier.
* Growth/decline in the number of employed persons (year-on-year, ten thousand): (Nov, 2024) +12.3 (May, 2025) +24.5 (Jun) +18.3 (Jul) +17.1 (Aug) +16.6 (Sep) +31.2
(Oct) +19.3 (Nov) +22.5
By industry, the recovery in consumer sentiment and the improvement in domestic demand led to a broader expansion in service-sector employment (+481,000 → +516,000), particularly in arts, sports and leisure (+70,000 → +61,000), business facilities management (+14,000 → +63,000), and transportation and warehousing (+14,000 → +41,000).
By employment status, the number of regular employees increased (+286,000 → +258,000), and temporary employees rose (+79,000 → +65,000), while the decline in daily workers narrowed (-55,000→ -29,000).
3. Among young people, the employment rate continued its downward trend and the number of inactive population (those not in employment or seeking work) increased year-on-year for the first time in seven months.
* Inactive Youth (y-o-y, ten thousand): (Nov, 2024) 6.2 (Jun, 2025) -1.8 (Jul) -0.7 (Aug) -1.4 (Sep) -3.4 (Oct) -0.9 (Nov) 0.7
4. The government will endeavor to reinforce the virtuous cycle between growth and employment by stimulating domestic demand and driving forward the AI Transformation and Ultra-Innovative Economy initiatives, while also enhancing tailored support measures for vulnerable groups, including young jobseekers and inactive youth.
Policy efforts will be undertaken in close coordination with relevant ministries to draw up the 2026 Economic Growth Strategy without delay, thereby bolstering the economy’s fundamental capacity for job creation by securing future growth engines.
The government will ensure thorough preparations in advance so that the 2026 budget for tailored employment services – such as AI-oriented reforms in vocational training, regional employment revitalization, and youth work-experience programs – can be executed without delay.
The government plans to closely analyze trends and underlying causes of inactive youth by category, and drawing on this analysis, develop targeted measures to build up their employability and facilitate their entry into the labor market.
Please refer to the attached files.
