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South Korea Unemployment Rate
Last Release
Aug 31, 2025
Actual
2.6
Units In
%
Previous
2.5
Frequency
Monthly
Next Release
Oct 16, 2025
Time to Release
1 Months 4 Days 22 Hours
Highest | Lowest | Average | Date Range | Source |
7.1 Jun 1999 | 2.4 Aug 2023 | 3.54 % | 1999-2025 | Statistics Korea |
In South Korea, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Latest Updates
South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up to 2.6% in August 2025 from 2.5% in July, matching June’s level. The number of unemployed rose to 592,000, up by 28,000 or 4.9% from a year earlier. At the same time, the country added 166,000 jobs, a 0.6% increase that lifted total employment to 28.97 million. August’s data underscored a steady recovery in hiring since December’s brief setback, when a net 52,000 positions were lost. Job growth has since gained momentum, peaking at 245,000 in May before easing to 183,000 in June and 171,000 in July. Still, manufacturing and construction employment continued to contract, reflecting sustained weakness in major industries, while younger workers faced further declines in labor market participation.
South Korea Unemployment Rate History
Last 12 readings