Employers, male (% of male employment) in Korea
Korea: Employers, male (% of male employment) was 6.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, male (% of male employment) in Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employers, male (% of male employment) in Korea is 6.4%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, male (% of male employment) in Korea peaked at 10.1% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 2022.
Korea ranks 42nd of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, male (% of male employment) in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.1% | — |
| 1992 | 10.0% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 9.9% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 9.9% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 9.8% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 9.8% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 9.7% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 9.6% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 9.6% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 9.6% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 9.9% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 10.0% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 10.1% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 10.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 9.9% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 9.6% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 8.9% | -7.3% |
| 2008 | 8.6% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 8.5% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 8.1% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 7.9% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 7.8% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 8.0% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 6.6% | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 6.1% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 6.4% | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 6.5% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 6.4% | -0.8% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 6.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.7%, 1.4× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Korea's 6.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.6%, 1.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.8% | 9.6% | 10.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.5% | 8.5% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 7.3% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 6.1% | 6.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More work & labour data for Korea
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 16,840 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,824 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.96 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.78 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 97,052 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 65,686 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 62.02 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.9719 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.1065 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, male (% of male employment) in Korea?
- Employers, male (% of male employment) in Korea was 6.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, male (% of male employment) recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1% in 2004.
- What is the lowest employers, male (% of male employment) recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 2022.
- How does Korea rank for employers, male (% of male employment)?
- Korea ranks 42nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).