Time-related underemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in Korea
Korea: Time-related underemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) was 738.61 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Time-related underemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Korea, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Korea recorded 738.61 for time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and up 51.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Korea peaked at 1,062 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 276.2, in 2014.
That places Korea 10th out of 59 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Time-related underemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 276.2 | — |
| 2015 | 489.09 | +77.1% |
| 2016 | 498.55 | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 558.53 | +12.0% |
| 2018 | 614.16 | +10.0% |
| 2019 | 735.27 | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 1,062 | +44.4% |
| 2021 | 1,040 | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 812.85 | -21.8% |
| 2023 | 721.04 | -11.3% |
| 2024 | 753 | +4.4% |
| 2025 | 738.61 | -1.9% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 738.61 is above the median for high income countries, which is 130.46, 5.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Korea's 738.61 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 436.24, 1.7× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 528.63 | 276.2 | 735.27 | 6 |
| 2020s | 854.51 | 721.04 | 1,062 | 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 time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Korea?
- Time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Korea was 738.61 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1,062 in 2020.
- What is the lowest time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 276.2 in 2014.
- How does Korea rank for time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Korea ranks 10th out of 59 countries with data for 2025.
- Is time-related underemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Time-related underemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. Persons in time-related underemployment comprise all persons in employment, who satisfy the following three criteria during the reference period: a) are willing to work additional hours; b) are available to work additional hours i.e., are ready, within a specified subsequent period, to work additional hours, given opportunities for additional work; and c) worked less than a threshold relating to working time i.e., persons whose hours actually worked in all jobs during the reference period were below a threshold, to be chosen according to national circumstances. For details, refer to the Resolution concerning the measurement of underemployment and inadequate employment situations. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.