Work break rate in 30s hits record

The number of people in their 30s who were neither working nor seeking jobs in June neared a record high of 300,000. The trend is viewed as a sign of declining work motivation among younger generations, as the job market in manufacturing and construction continues to face challenges.

According to Statistics Korea’s June employment report released Wednesday, the number of employed people last month was 29.09 million, up 183,000, or 0.6%, from a year earlier. However, the streak of monthly job gains that had continued for five straight months came to an end in June. Following a 52,000-job drop in December amid the declaration of martial law, employment rebounded with the addition of 135,000 new jobs in January. Monthly gains continued to grow, peaking at 245,000 in May, before falling back to the 100,000 range last month.

The slowdown is mainly due to continued weakness in manufacturing and construction, two key pillars of employment. Manufacturing jobs fell by 83,000 from a year earlier, extending their decline to a 12th straight month. Construction employment dropped by 97,000, marking 14 consecutive months of losses. A Ministry of Economy and Finance official said, “Manufacturers tied to domestic demand struggled, and trade risks weighed on the auto sector.”

The slowdown in high-quality job sectors appears to be discouraging workers in their 20s and 30s. The number of people in their 30s who were “taking a break” rose to 295,000 last month, up 10,000 from a year earlier, the highest June figure since data collection began in 2003. Among those in their 20s, the number increased by 1,000 to 396,000, the highest for June since 2020, when it reached 415,000.

“We will expand the economy’s capacity to create jobs by fostering next-generation cutting-edge industries such as artificial intelligence and upgrading key sectors,” an official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance said.


세종=정순구 기자 soon9@donga.com