206,000 More Employed in March... Youth Employment Rate Declines for 23 Consecutive Months (Update)

The number of employed persons increased by double digits for the 15th consecutive month in March this year. However, youth employment remains sluggish, and polarization by industry persists.

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According to the 'March 2026 Employment Trends' released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on April 15, the number of employed persons last month was 28,795,000, up by 206,000 from the same month last year. This marks a double-digit increase for 15 consecutive months since January last year.

The employment rate for those aged 15 and older was 62.7%, up 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier. Based on the OECD standard, the employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 was 69.7%, a 0.4 percentage point increase year-on-year. The number of unemployed persons was 884,000, down 35,000 from March last year. The unemployment rate was 3.0%, 0.1 percentage point lower than the same month a year ago.

The employment rate among youth (aged 15 to 29) was 43.6%, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier, marking a downward trend for 23 consecutive months. The number of employed youth stood at 3,422,000, a decrease of 147,000 from the same month last year. The youth unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point to 7.6%.

By industry, the number of employed people increased year-on-year in health and social welfare services (294,000), transportation and warehousing (75,000), and arts, sports, and leisure-related services (44,000). Meanwhile, employment decreased in public administration and social security (-77,000), professional and scientific services (-61,000), manufacturing (-42,000), and construction (-16,000).

By age group, the number of employed persons increased by 242,000 among those aged 60 and over, 112,000 in their 30s, and 5,000 in their 50s. However, the number of employed youth (aged 15 to 29) decreased by 147,000 from a year earlier, continuing a decline for 41 consecutive months since November 2022.

Among the economically inactive population, the number of people classified as "resting" was 2,548,000, up 31,000 from a year earlier. This figure increased among those aged 60 and older (up 96,000) and those in their 40s (up 5,000), while it decreased in other age groups. Among youth (aged 15 to 29), the number of "resting" persons decreased by 53,000 to 402,000. The number of discouraged job seekers was 354,000, down 1,000 from the same month last year.

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