Korea's September jobless rate falls to record low as factory hiring turns up

South Korea's unemployment rate fell to 2.0 percent in September from 2.1 percent a year earlier, the lowest reading for the month since the current series began, the National Data Office said Friday, as manufacturers added workers for the first time in more than two years.

The number of employed people rose by 113,000 from a year earlier, while the employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 climbed 0.2 percentage points to 70.6 percent, also a record for any September. Factory payrolls expanded by 16,000, the first year-on-year increase since June 2024, which the office attributed to firm corporate sentiment and strong exports.

Regular employees rose by 253,000, the largest gain since November 2025, lifting the share of regular workers to a record 57.8 percent for a September. Temporary and daily workers both declined, as did own-account employers with staff and unpaid family workers. Construction cut 48,000 jobs, a wider decline than the 32,000 recorded a month earlier.

The youth picture remained the weak spot in an otherwise firm report. The employment rate for those aged 15 to 29 fell 1.1 percentage points to 44.0 percent, and the rate for those aged 15 to 34 under the youth employment promotion law was 56.1 percent, down 0.4 percentage points. The office noted that the number of young people who reported simply resting fell for an eighth consecutive month.

The government said it would push ahead with the National Jobs Project and with the main tasks of its Youth Employment Recovery Plan, announced Aug. 28 and due for full execution next year. The office flagged continued weakness among young people and in construction and agriculture, and said rising tensions in the Middle East could weigh on employment ahead.