30s Female Employment Increased by 110,000 in One Year While Male Employment Decreased by 80,000... What Is the Reason?

Growth of Health and Welfare Industry with High Female Participation
Decline in Marriage and Birth Rates, Increase in Female Economic Activity

The number of employed women in their 30s increased by 110,000 compared to a year ago. On the other hand, the number of employed men decreased by 80,000.

According to the National Statistical Portal of Statistics Korea and the Economically Active Population Survey microdata on the 7th, the number of employed people in their 30s last month increased by 24,000 compared to a year ago. Among them, the number of employed women in their 30s was 2,176,000, an increase of 108,000, while the number of employed men in their 30s was 3,128,000, a decrease of 84,000.

The number of employed women in their 30s has been increasing for 16 consecutive months since December 2021. Conversely, the number of employed men in their 30s has been decreasing for 14 consecutive months since February last year. Although the population of people in their 30s has decreased for both men and women, the employment rate of women has risen sharply, compensating for the population decline.

This is due to the continued growth in employment in the health and welfare sector, which has a high proportion of female workers, as demand for care has increased due to aging. On the other hand, employment in manufacturing and construction, sectors with a high proportion of male workers, has been sluggish. It is also analyzed that the economic activity participation rate and employment rate of women in their 30s reached record highs due to trends such as late marriage, non-marriage, and low birth rates.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Im Kyung-eun, head of the Employment Statistics Division at Statistics Korea, explained, “The increase in employed workers in the health and welfare sector, such as caregivers and nurses, which have a high proportion of women, and the decrease in employed workers in construction and manufacturing, which have a high proportion of men, have had an impact. As the age of marriage and childbirth rises, the economic activity participation rate of women in their 30s is much higher than in previous years.”

Last month, the economic activity participation rate (the ratio of employed and unemployed people to the population) of women in their 30s was 69.2%, and the employment rate was 67.1%, each rising by 4.2 percentage points compared to a year ago. Both the economic activity participation rate and employment rate are the highest ever since the statistics were revised in June 1999 based on a four-week job search period.

This appears to be due to a decrease in marriage and childbirth itself, and an increase in women participating in economic activities even if they have children. It is also analyzed that conditions have been created for women who had to stop dual-income work due to daycare closures during the COVID-19 outbreak to return to work.

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