Busan Employment Market Sees Most Positive Trend Nationwide... Employment Rate Rises, Unemployment Hits Record Low

Mayor Park Hyungjoon: "Employment Indicators Clearly Improving"

Industrial Upgrading and Job Creation in Strategic Industries

The employment market in Busan is experiencing a positive trend. Both the increase in employment rate and the rate of growth ranked first nationwide.

On March 19, the Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced that its analysis of the employment trends for February 2026 showed simultaneous improvements in employment and decreases in unemployment, with overall labor market indicators reflecting an upward trend.

The employment rate for those aged 15 and over in Busan was 58.4%, a 0.7 percentage point increase compared to the same month last year. The core working-age employment rate (ages 15 to 64) rose by 1.9 percentage points to 68.7%. The number of employed persons increased by 16,000, reaching 1,695,000.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points to 2.8%, the lowest among the seven major metropolitan cities. The number of unemployed decreased by 5,000 to 49,000. This is attributed to employment growth translating directly into actual jobs, thereby improving labor market stability.

Employment Rate Trend Comparison for Ages 15 to 64.

Comparison of Employment Rate Increase for Ages 15 to 64.

The positive trend over the past five years is also clear. The employment rate for ages 15 to 64 rose from 62.9% in 2020 to 68.1% in 2025, a 5.2 percentage point increase. This outpaces the national average growth for the same period. Both the increase in employment rate and the growth rate are the highest in the country. Despite a demographic structure with a high proportion of elderly residents, employment among the core working-age population has improved rapidly.

The job mismatch issue has also been easing. In the second half of 2025, the number of job openings was 71,994, up 10.8% compared to 2021. The number of hires increased by 16.3% to 67,154. In contrast, the number of unfilled positions decreased by 33.3% to 4,840, and the unfilled position rate dropped from 11.2% to 6.7%.

The Busan Metropolitan Government attributes these results to a combination of industrial upgrading, the creation of jobs centered on strategic industries, and enhanced job matching policies.

Mayor Park Hyungjoon emphasized, "We are seeing improvements in employment indicators and a reduction in job mismatches," adding, "To boost private sector-driven job vitality, we will implement a comprehensive job plan for 2026, continuing to create tailored jobs and advance employment services."

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