South Korea sees record number of jobless 30s

The number of South Koreans in their 30s who reported being resting, or not engaged in work or job-seeking, exceeded 330,000 last month, marking a record high. The data suggest that more people in their 30s, considered the core of the working-age population, have stopped looking for jobs.

Analysts say the mismatch between available jobs and job seekers is worsening as employment in key sectors such as manufacturing and construction remains sluggish. They warn that with artificial intelligence adoption spreading across industries, continued “jobless growth” could further weaken employment prospects for workers in their 30s.

According to data released by the National Data Office on Nov. 12, the number of inactive people in their 30s stood at 334,000 last month, up 24,000 from a year earlier. It was the highest since the government began tracking the figure in 2003. Although the employment rate for the age group rose slightly by 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier, the number of those neither working nor seeking jobs also increased.

Experts attribute the record-high number to a deepening job mismatch. Many people born in the 1990s, now in their 30s, have stayed out of the workforce amid a prolonged hiring slump. The number of people who became inactive after repeatedly changing or leaving jobs in search of better opportunities has also increased.

Employment in key manufacturing industries that form the backbone of South Korea’s exports, including semiconductors, automobiles, and steel, has remained weak. Manufacturing jobs fell by 51,000 last month from a year earlier, marking the 16th consecutive month of decline. Despite record-high semiconductor exports in the third quarter, the growth has not led to a recovery in employment.

According to the Korea Development Institute, the employment inducement coefficient for the semiconductor industry is 2.1, roughly one-third of the overall manufacturing average of 6.2. The coefficient measures the number of direct and indirect jobs created when an industry grows by 1 billion won.

The number of construction workers also fell by 123,000, marking an 18th consecutive month of decline. The drop was steeper than in September, when employment fell by 84,000.

“The longer people remain inactive, the more likely they are to give up returning to the labor market, creating a vicious cycle that erodes the dynamism of the Korean economy,” said Kwon Hyuk, a professor at Korea University’s Graduate School of Labor Studies. “It is time for the government to shift to active employment services that proactively identify and support those who are resting.”


세종=김수연 기자 syeon@donga.com