Young Korean men are facing a widening employment gap, with a 56.6% employment rate in the first nine months of this year compared with 61.8% for women aged 20 to 29. Among economically inactive men aged 15 to 29, 87% were not preparing for an employment examination in May, the highest share on record.
Jobs held by people in their twenties fell by 76,000 year on year in the first quarter, including losses in manufacturing, public administration and information technology. Analysts linked the pressure to weakness in manufacturing and construction, alongside reductions in AI-exposed sectors where young men have been strongly represented.