Employment Market in Changwon 'Active'... Number of Workers Increasing

2.7% Increase Compared to Same Period Last Year

Manufacturing Returns to Pre-COVID-19 Levels

Gyeongnam Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. / Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Gyeongnam announced the employment trends in the Changwon area for the first half of this year on the 4th.

The Chamber stated, "The number of workers in the Changwon area is showing an increasing trend, and in particular, the number of manufacturing workers has recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels, centered on the electrical equipment and other transportation equipment industries."

According to a survey based on the employment insurance database of the Employment Information Service, as of the first half of 2022, the number of regular workers enrolled in employment insurance in the Changwon area was 264,678.

This figure excludes insured persons under employment insurance and daily workers, and represents a 2.7% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ▲businesses with 100 to less than 300 employees increased by 5.3% to 36,656 ▲businesses with 10 to less than 100 employees rose by 3.0% to 97,836 ▲businesses with fewer than 10 employees increased by 1.9% to 67,202 ▲businesses with 300 or more employees had 62,984 workers, a 1.7% increase.

Among the total number of workers, those employed in the service industry numbered 140,599, up 3.5% from the same period last year, and manufacturing workers numbered 110,525, up 1.7%.

In manufacturing, the machinery and equipment sector had the largest number with 29,493 workers, followed by electrical equipment with 18,198, automobiles and trailers with 16,935, primary metals with 9,615, and other transportation equipment-related workers with 9,179.

▲Electrical equipment 6.4% ▲Food products 4.2% ▲Other transportation equipment 4.0% ▲Metal products excluding machinery and furniture 3.0% ▲Electronic components 2.9% ▲Primary metals 1.2% ▲Other machinery and equipment 0.9%, showing increases in most worker numbers.

The number of employment insurance subscribers in Changwon's service industry was highest in health and social welfare with 39,070 workers.

Next were ▲wholesale and retail trade with 15,677 ▲business facility management, business support and rental services with 14,767 ▲professional, scientific and technical services with 13,680 ▲transportation and warehousing with 10,288 ▲education with 9,474 ▲accommodation and food services with 9,383 workers.

The Chamber reported that the number of employed persons, which shows labor mobility, was 71,918, a 5.9% increase from the same period last year, and the number of retirees also increased by 9.2% to 67,317.

Experienced hires increased by 6.1% to 63,765, and new hires rose by 4.5% to 8,153.

The main reason for retirement was "voluntary resignation due to personal reasons," accounting for 56.0% or 37,680 people.

Next, "contract expiration and project completion" accounted for 16,432 people or 24.4%, "personnel reduction due to company recession" was 7,973 people or 11.8%, "business closure and bankruptcy" was 1,668 people or 2.5%, and "retirement age" was 1,218 people or 1.8%.

The Chamber stated that compared to the first half of last year, the proportion of voluntary resignations due to personal reasons increased by 2.1 percentage points, while personnel reductions due to company recession decreased by 1.3 percentage points.

Voluntary resignations due to workplace relocation, changes in working conditions, and wage arrears also decreased by 0.7%, and reasons such as business closure or bankruptcy decreased by 0.6 percentage points.

A representative from the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, "As both job changes and new hires increase, the local employment market is gradually becoming more active," adding, "The decrease in involuntary retirements and the increase in voluntary resignations and experienced hires can be seen as a sign that the employment market in the Changwon area is recovering, leading to a higher tendency for job changes."

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