Employment Rises by Nearly 200,000... 'Resting' Youth Population Decreases

[Anchor]

The number of employed people increased by nearly 200,000 last month, showing signs of recovery. Notably, the government evaluated the declining trend of young people classified as "resting" as a sign of the restoration of the employment ladder, including training and job hunting.

Reporter Min Gyeongho has the details.

[Reporter]

According to the National Data Office, the number of employed individuals aged 15 and older last month stood at 29,151,000.

This is an increase of 184,000 compared to the same month last year.

Although the number of employed people decreased by 40,000 in May of this year, it turned to an increase in June and has been expanding its upward trajectory.

However, the number of employed youth aged 15 to 29 decreased by 143,000, continuing a downward trend for the 46th consecutive month.

The youth unemployment rate also rose by 0.5 percentage points to 5.4%, the highest in four years since 2022.

Still, the scale of the decrease in employed youth has narrowed.

In particular, the population of young people who are simply "resting" was found to have decreased by 51,000.

While the possibility has been raised that the decrease in resting youth is due to a decline in the youth population itself, the government analyzes that the downward trend in resting youth is steeper than the population decline rate.

The government explained that the number of enrolled and training students has increased, and that as training programs such as the Youth New Deal are fully implemented, signs are being observed of young people flowing into training.

It also noted that as young people enter the labor market through active job-seeking behavior, some are statistically classified as unemployed, which falls under the economically active population, stating, "While we need to monitor the situation further, there is room to interpret this as a sign of the restoration of the earlier stages of the training-job hunting-employment ladder."

By industry, employment in manufacturing decreased by 38,000, construction by 32,000, and accommodation and food services by 61,000.

Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries also saw a decrease of 109,000.

On the other hand, health and social welfare services increased by 186,000, arts, sports, and recreation by 73,000, and business support services by 45,000.

(Video Editing: Ahn Yeojin)

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