Employment in South Korea
South Korea: Employment was 28,881 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
28,881
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
22nd
of 174 countries
All-time high
28,881
in 2025
All-time low
7,563
in 1963
Years of data
63
1963–2025
Employment in South Korea, 1963–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in South Korea is 28,881, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in South Korea peaked at 28,881 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7,563, in 1963.
South Korea ranks 22nd of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Employment in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 7,563 | — |
| 1964 | 7,698 | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 8,112 | +5.4% |
| 1966 | 8,325 | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 8,624 | +3.6% |
| 1968 | 9,061 | +5.1% |
| 1969 | 9,285 | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 9,617 | +3.6% |
| 1971 | 9,946 | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 10,379 | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 10,942 | +5.4% |
| 1974 | 11,421 | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 11,691 | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 12,412 | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 12,812 | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 13,412 | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 13,602 | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 13,683 | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 14,023 | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 14,379 | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 14,505 | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 14,429 | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 14,970 | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 15,505 | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 16,354 | +5.5% |
| 1988 | 16,869 | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 17,560 | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 18,085 | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 18,649 | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 19,009 | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 19,234 | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 19,848 | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 20,414 | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 20,853 | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 21,214 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 19,938 | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 20,291 | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 21,378 | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 21,815 | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 22,410 | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 22,376 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 22,870 | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 23,015 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 23,367 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 23,729 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 23,919 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 23,868 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 24,218 | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 24,704 | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 25,105 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 25,465 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 26,092 | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 26,348 | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 26,551 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 26,868 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 26,925 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 27,231 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 27,024 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 27,401 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 28,229 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 28,549 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 28,695 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 28,881 | +0.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 28,881 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,235, 12.9× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 28,881 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,872, 15.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8,381 | 7,563 | 9,285 | 7 |
| 1970s | 11,623 | 9,617 | 13,602 | 10 |
| 1980s | 15,228 | 13,683 | 17,560 | 10 |
| 1990s | 19,754 | 18,085 | 21,214 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22,875 | 21,378 | 23,919 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25,951 | 24,218 | 27,231 | 10 |
| 2020s | 28,130 | 27,024 | 28,881 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More work & labour data for South 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 employment in South Korea?
- Employment in South Korea was 28,881 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 28,881 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,563 in 1963.
- How does South Korea rank for employment?
- South Korea ranks 22nd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).