South Korea added 183,000 new jobs in June, marking the sixth consecutive month of employment growth, according to Statistics Korea. The total number of employed people reached 29.09 million, continuing the recovery trend since a dip last December.

The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 rose 0.4 percentage points year-on-year to 70.3%, while the overall jobless rate slightly declined to 2.8%.

Despite the positive headline numbers, key sectors such as manufacturing and construction remained under pressure. The manufacturing sector lost 83,000 jobs in June, continuing a year-long slump. The construction industry shed 97,000 positions, marking its 14th straight month of decline. Officials cited ongoing trade uncertainties and tariff negotiations with the U.S. as contributing factors.

The agriculture sector experienced the sharpest drop since 2015, losing 141,000 jobs due to an unusual cold wave in April and heavy rains in June. Weak domestic demand also impacted accommodation and food services, which lost 38,000 jobs.

Job growth was largely driven by older age groups. Employment among those aged 60 and older increased by 348,000, while jobs for individuals in their 30s rose by 116,000. However, youth employment declined sharply. The number of jobs for people in their 20s dropped by 152,000, while those in their 40s and 50s saw declines of 55,000 and 53,000, respectively.

The employment rate for those aged 15 and above edged up to 63.6%, but youth employment (15–29 age group) fell for the 14th consecutive month to 45.6%.

The economically inactive population also increased slightly, rising by 42,000 to reach 15.8 million by the end of June.