South Korea's employment insurance system continued to add subscribers in July, but the gains were driven largely by older workers as participation among young people remained in decline.
According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, reported by Korea JoongAng Daily, the number of employment insurance subscribers reached 15.877m in July, representing an increase of 1.8% from a year earlier. It was the seventh consecutive month in which the annual increase remained above 200,000 and close to the 300,000 mark.
The number of insured employees aged 29 and below fell for the 47th consecutive month, highlighting the continuing difficulty young people face in securing employment covered by the national insurance system.
Meanwhile, subscriber numbers rose across all older age groups. Workers aged 60 and above recorded the largest increase, with their numbers rising by around 209,000 from a year earlier. Those in their 30s increased by approximately 85,000, while the number of subscribers in their 50s grew by around 37,000. The 40–49 age group recorded a more modest gain of about 4,000.
The figures suggest that while South Korea’s employment insurance base is continuing to expand, the recovery remains uneven, with the country’s ageing workforce accounting for much of the growth and younger workers continuing to lose ground.