# South Korea Job Growth Slows, Manufacturing Rebounds

> South Korea's job growth slowed to 113,000 in September as manufacturing rebounds after 27 months of decline.
- Title: South Korea Job Growth Slows, Manufacturing Rebounds
- Summary: South Korea's job growth slowed to 113,000 in September as manufacturing rebounds after 27 months of decline. South Korea's September job growth slowed to…
- Keywords: south korea, job growth, manufacturing, employment, youth employment, unemployment rate, national data agency, finance, markets, South, Korea, Job
- Source: BigGo Finance — https://finance.biggo.com/news/d7879f5a-abc9-4a22-822e-a80ff9cf6f08
- Author: BigGo Finance
- Published: 2026-10-16T00:25:18+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: south korea, job growth, manufacturing, employment, youth employment, unemployment rate, national data agency, finance, markets
## South Korea's September Job Growth
South Korea's employed population reached 29.266 million in September, up 113,000 from a year earlier.
## Manufacturing Employment Rebounds
Manufacturing employment rose 16,000, turning positive for the first time in 27 months.
## Youth Employment Weakness
Employment among those in their 20s fell by 170,000, and the employment rate for ages 15, 29 declined for the 29th consecutive month.
## Youth Employment Rate Change
The employment rate for ages 15, 34, published for the first time, fell 0.4 percentage point to 56.1%.
## Unemployment Trends
The headline unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage point to 2.0%, but the expanded unemployment rate for young people rose to 15.6%.
## Manufacturing Sector Details
Health and social welfare services led gains with 207,000 new jobs, while accommodation and food services declined by 97,000.
## Youth Employment Impact
The employment rate for ages 15, 34 declined less than under the 15, 29 standard, showing stabilization in early-to-mid 30s.
## Key takeaway

South Korea's September job growth slowed to 113,000 from August's 184,000 while manufacturing employment rose for the first time in 27 months.