1. In January 2026, the employment rate for those aged 15 and above stood at 61.0%, unchanged from a year earlier. The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 rose by 0.4%p year-on-year to 69.2%. The labor force participation rate increased by 0.2%p from a year earlier to 63.6%, while the unemployment rate rose by 0.4%p year-on-year to 4.1%.
* Employment Indicators for January (2025 → 2026, %): Employment rate 61.0 → 61.0
Labor force participation rate 63.4 → 63.6
Unemployment rate 3.7 → 4.1
By age group, the employment rate increased for those in their 30s (80.5%, +0.5%p), 40s (80.0%, +1.2%p), and 50s (77.5%, +1.0%p), while it declined among those aged 60 and over (41.8%, -0.5%p), and youth (43.6%, -1.2%p).
Both the labor force participation rate and the employment rate for those aged 15 and older marked the highest levels ever recorded for the month of January. The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 also reached a record high for January.
2. The number of employed persons went up by 10 8,000 year-on-year, marking 13 consecutive months of six-figure increases. However, the pace of increase slowed compared to the annual increase in 2025 (193,000) and December (168,000).
* Growth/decline in the number of employed persons (year-on-year, ten thousand): (Jan, 2025) +13.5 (Jul) +17.1 (Aug) +16.6 (Sep) +31.2 (Oct) +19.3 (Nov) +22.5 (Dec) +16.8 (Jan, 2026) +10.8
By industry, employment growth in the services sector moderated, as temporary factors overlapped, including base effects from the previously solid pace of increases, cold weather conditions, and holiday-related calendar effect.
By employment status, the number of regular workers (+195,000 → +192,000) and daily workers (+25,000 → +26,000) rose, while the decline in temporary workers (-7,000→ -97,000) widened.
3. The youth employment rate continued to fall and the number of economically inactive population (those not in employment or seeking work) climbed from a year earlier.
* Inactive Youth (y-o-y, ten thousand): (Jan, 2025) 3.0 (Aug) -1.4 (Sep) -3.4 (Oct) -0.9 (Nov) 0.7 (Dec) 0.0 (Jan, 2026) 3.5
4. The government will continue to strengthen the virtuous cycle between growth and employment so that the expanding recovery momentum translates into quality jobs, while stepping up efforts to support vulnerable segments of the labor market, including youth and regional areas.
The government will swiftly implement the key job-related initiatives under the 2026 Economic Growth Strategy. At the same time, it will formulate tailored measures that take into account the characteristics of job-seeking and inactive youth, including efforts to enhance employability, provide work experience opportunities, and offer recovery support.
Efforts will be made to boost job creation capacity by bolstering the competitiveness of key industries and supporting future growth drivers, including the KRW 30 trillion National Growth Fund and the flagship projects of the Hyper-Innovation Economy. Industrial conditions and employment challenges across regions will also be continuously monitored.
In addition, domestic and external risk factors, including those related to trade, financial markets, and prices, will be closely monitored, and every effort will be made to ensure a timely and thorough response.
Please refer to the attached files.
