Changwon Employment Market 'Active'... Manufacturing Workers Increase for the First Time in 8 Years

A view of Changwon National Industrial Complex.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Ju-cheol In] The number of manufacturing workers in the Changwon area has increased for the first time in eight years.

In particular, the number of workers increased across all industries, including the service and construction sectors, indicating that the overall employment market in Changwon, which had been stagnant due to COVID-19, is regaining vitality.

The Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced the "2021 Changwon City Employment Trends" on the 10th, based on the Employment Insurance database from the Employment Information Service.

According to the survey results, as of the end of last year, the number of regular workers (hereafter workers) enrolled in employment insurance in Changwon City was 261,340, a 3.3% increase compared to the previous year.

By scale, the number of workers at workplaces with 300 or more employees increased by 6.6% to 62,804; workplaces with 100 to less than 300 employees recorded 34,409 workers (6.1%); workplaces with 10 to less than 100 employees had 95,097 workers (3.1%); and workplaces with fewer than 10 employees had 69,030 workers (-0.5%).

While the total number of workers in Changwon increased compared to the previous year, the service sector reached 138,118 workers, up 4.4% year-on-year.

The manufacturing sector also increased by 2.2% to 109,871 workers, marking the first increase in the number of workers in eight years since 2013. This level is higher than before COVID-19. The construction sector had 10,027 workers, a 0.9% increase from the previous year.

By manufacturing industry, machinery and equipment had the highest number of workers at 29,494, followed by electrical equipment with 17,789, automobiles and trailers with 16,825, primary metals with 9,682, and other transportation equipment with 9,156. Among manufacturing sectors, the number of workers in electrical equipment (8.9%) and electronic components (6.0%) showed notable increases. Additionally, the number of workers increased in metal processing products, food products, and other transportation equipment.

The number of employed persons, which indicates the degree of labor mobility, was 127,515 on a cumulative basis in 2021, an 11.0% increase from the previous year, and the number of retirees was 117,405, a 0.4% increase. Among employed persons, experienced hires increased by 11.6% to 113,281, and new hires increased by 6.5% to 14,234.

Among the increased number of retirees compared to the previous year, voluntary resignations due to personal reasons were the highest at 66,082 (56.3%), followed by contract expiration and project completion at 28,361 (24.2%), workforce reductions due to company downturns at 14,115 (12%), and business closures and bankruptcies at 3,159 (2.7%).

Compared to the previous year, the proportion of involuntary retirements such as workforce reductions due to company downturns (-4.1 percentage points), business closures and bankruptcies (-2.3 percentage points), and contract expiration/project completion (-1.5 percentage points) decreased, but the proportion of voluntary resignations due to personal reasons remained high at 56.3%. The simultaneous increase in both retirees and employed persons suggests that the decrease in involuntary retirements and increase in voluntary resignations indicate a gradual recovery in the Changwon employment market.

Gu Ja-cheon, Chairman of the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "The simultaneous increase in both retirees and employed persons suggests that the decrease in involuntary retirements and increase in voluntary resignations indicate a gradual recovery in the Changwon employment market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.