▲ This file photo, taken Nov. 6, 2025, shows a job fair in Seoul. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) jobless rate-January tally

(LEAD) S. Korea adds 108,000 jobs in Jan., smallest growth in 13 months

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By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea added slightly more than 100,000 jobs in January, marking the slowest on-year growth in 13 months, data showed Wednesday.

The number of employed people rose by 108,000, or 0.4 percent, from a year earlier to 27.99 million last month, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

It marks the smallest on-year gain since losing 52,000 positions in December 2024.

Last month's modest increase underscored a prolonged slump in the manufacturing and construction sectors, while youth employment fell for the 21st consecutive month, highlighting continued challenges for young job seekers.

By age, jobs for people aged 15 to 29 fell sharply by 175,000 in January, pushing down the employment rate for the age group 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier to 43.6 percent.

This marked the lowest January figure since 2021, when the rate stood at 41.1 percent.

Employment among those in their 40s also declined slightly, falling by 3,000 jobs.

Even jobs for older workers, which had led the labor market in recent years, showed signs of weakening.

Employment among people aged 60 and older increased by 141,000, the smallest rise for January since 2021, when the figure dropped by 15,000.

Last year, monthly gains for this age group ranged between 200,000 and 400,000.

"The continued decline in agriculture, forestry and fisheries due to aging, combined with January's cold wave, reduced older workers' activity levels," Bin Hyun-joon, a ministry official, said.

He added that delays in the resumption of government-run senior employment programs caused by the cold weather led some elderly people to be classified as unemployed or economically inactive.

In contrast, employment rose among people in their 30s and 50s, adding 101,000 and 45,000 jobs, respectively.

By industry, professional, scientific and technical services saw employment fall by 98,000, the largest on-year drop since the industry classification system was revised in 2013.

Manufacturing, considered the backbone of the South Korean economy, shed 23,000 jobs from a year earlier, extending its downturn to a 19th consecutive month.

The construction sector recorded a sharper decline of 20,000 jobs, marking its 21st straight month of losses.

The number of economically inactive people increased by 4,000 from a year earlier to 16.72 million.

Notably, the number of people reporting that they were not working simply to rest surged by 111,000, the largest on-year gain for January since records began in 2003, according to the ministry.

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