South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged down to 2.7% in August 2026 from 2.8% in July. The economy added 184,000 jobs, the strongest increase in five months, lifting total employment to 29.15 million from 28.96 million a year earlier.
Job creation was driven primarily by health and social welfare services (+186,000), followed by arts, sports and recreation (+73,000), business facility management and support services (+45,000), public administration and social security (+32,000), information and communications (+28,000), and finance and insurance (+23,000).
By contrast, employment declined in education (-24,000), wholesale and retail trade (-18,000), manufacturing (-38,000), agriculture, forestry and fishing (-109,000), and accommodation and food services (-13,000).