South Korea Unemployment Rate

South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up to 2.6% in October 2025 from 2.5% in September, matching August’s level. The economy added 193,000 jobs during the month, extending this year’s steady employment gains and bringing the total number of employed people to 29.04 million. However, youth employment fell for the 18th straight month, while jobs in manufacturing and construction continued to decline. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed persons stood at 658,000 in October, down 20,000 or 2.9% from a year earlier. The labor force participation rate rose by 173,000 or 0.6% year-on-year to 29.7 million.