South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged down to 2.5% in October 2026 from 2.6% in September, marking the lowest level since September 2024. The economy added 139,000 jobs, surpassing 100,000 new positions for the fourth consecutive month and lifting total employment to 29.18 million.
Job gains were led by healthcare and social welfare, which added 249,000 positions, followed by transportation and storage (+48,000) and business facilities management and support services (+37,000). By contrast, employment in accommodation and food services dropped by 137,000, while agriculture, forestry and fishing (-101,000) and construction (-42,000) also recorded declines. Manufacturing employment decreased by 7,000, reversing the increase seen in the previous month.
The number of unemployed persons fell by 56,000 from a year earlier to 602,000, whereas the economically inactive population rose by 179,000 to 16.30 million. The employment rate for young people aged 15 to 29 declined by 1.7 percentage points to 42.9%.