April Employment Up by 74,000... Smallest Increase in 16 Months (Comprehensive)

April 2026 Employment Trends
Youth Employment Declines for 42 Consecutive Months

The increase in the number of employed persons in April reached its lowest level in 16 months. This is attributed to the rise in oil prices following the Middle East war, a deterioration in domestic consumer sentiment, and a significant downturn in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector. The employment rate among young people has declined for 24 consecutive months, marking the longest period of decline since the global financial crisis.

According to the “April 2026 Employment Trends” released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on May 13, the number of employed persons last month was 28,961,000, an increase of only 74,000 compared to the same month last year. This is the smallest increase in employment in 16 months since December 2024, when the figure declined by 52,000. The number of employed persons expanded to the 200,000 range in February (234,000) and March (206,000) after reaching 108,000 in January, but then sharply decreased in April.

By industry, employment in the health and welfare services sector saw the largest increase, rising by 261,000 people (8.2%). This was due to growing demand for care services and the impact of direct job creation programs for seniors. Employment in arts, sports and leisure-related services increased by 54,000 (9.9%), and the real estate sector added 49,000 jobs (9.4%).

The KB Good Job Employment Fair was held on the 27th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Many job seekers attending the fair checked the job posting board. 2026.04.27 Photo by Dongju Yoon

On the other hand, during the same period, employment in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector decreased by 115,000, marking the largest drop since the industrial classification was revised in 2013. Bin Hyunjun, Director of Social Statistics at the Ministry of Data and Statistics, analyzed, "This sector had been growing for over four years, so there was a base effect, and sluggish performance in technology engineering and professional services also contributed to the decline."

The number of employed persons in manufacturing decreased by 55,000 (-1.2%), and in construction by 8,000 (-0.4%), continuing their downturns for 22 and 24 consecutive months, respectively. The government explained that, despite strong exports, the decline in manufacturing expanded due to external uncertainties. Employment in wholesale and retail, closely tied to domestic demand, also fell by 52,000 (-1.8%), marking a decrease for the second consecutive month.

By age group, the number of employed persons increased by 189,000 among those aged 60 and older, by 84,000 in their 30s, and by 11,000 in their 50s. In contrast, employment among people in their 20s declined by 195,000, and among those in their 40s by 17,000. In particular, youth employment continued to languish. The number of employed persons aged 15 to 29 decreased by 194,000 from the previous year, marking a decline for 42 consecutive months since November 2022.

Based on the OECD comparison standard, the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 was 70.0%, up 0.1 percentage points from the same month last year. The overall employment rate for those aged 15 and older was 63.0%, down 0.2 percentage points from last year. This is the first decline since December 2024, when it fell by 0.3 percentage points. The labor force participation rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 64.9% compared to last year, but this was still the third highest level for April since statistics began in June 1999.

During the same period, the youth employment rate dropped by 1.6 percentage points to 43.7%. The youth employment rate has now fallen for 24 consecutive months. Director Bin said, "This is the longest period of decline since the 51 consecutive months from September 2005 to November 2009."

The number of unemployed persons was 853,000, down by 2,000 from a year earlier, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.9%. The economically inactive population increased by 174,000, with the number of people “taking a break” rising by 63,000. The government analyzed that some of the unemployed have moved into the economically inactive population due to the weakening employment environment, resulting in an increase in the number of discouraged workers.

The government is closely monitoring the recent slowdown in employment and the expansion of external uncertainties. On this day, First Vice Minister of Economy and Finance Lee Hyungil and Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Kwon Changjun held a joint task force meeting with related ministries to strengthen customized support for vulnerable groups such as youth and the elderly, and to prepare measures to respond to employment shocks caused by the spread of AI and industrial transformation. Vice Minister Lee stated, "Through the Youth New Deal, we plan to provide tailored employment support services to about 100,000 young people."

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