S. Korea sees regular employment rise among older workers, fall among youth in Q3
More than 70 percent of the increase in regular employees in South Korea in the third quarter came from workers aged 60 and older, while the figure for workers in their 20s and 30s declined, the statistics ministry said Sunday, Yonhap reports.
The number of regular workers came to 16.84 million in the July-September period, up 167,628 from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
While those in their 60s and older made up less than 14 percent of all regular employees, the number of workers in this age group rose by 125,573 from a year earlier.
This accounted for 74.9 percent of the total on-year increase, reflecting the country's aging population.
Meanwhile, regular employment among younger workers continued to decline.
The number of regular employees in their 20s fell by 82,836 in the third quarter from a year earlier, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of decline since the first quarter of 2023.
The figure for those in their 30s also declined by 3,711 from last year despite an increase of 81,433 in population.
An August survey conducted by the ministry showed that about 680,000 people in their 20s and 30s were not employed and were "resting."
Earlier, Qazinform reported South Korea recorded a historic $61.46bn current account surplus in September amid semiconductor boom.