Industry
Employment rate for people in their 20s falls for first time in 5 years, jobs also drop
South Korea’s employment rate for people in their 20s fell to 60.2 percent in 2025, down 0.8 percentage point from 2024, marking the first annual decline in five years. The number of employed people in that age group slid 170,000 to 3,442,000, extending a three-year streak of declines. The number classified as “resting” rose to 408,000, the highest in five years, and its share reached a record 7.1 percent.
