South Korea’s Temporary Jobs Fall to 31-Year Third-Quarter Low

South Korea’s number of temporary and daily workers fell to its lowest third-quarter level in 31 years, highlighting continued weakness in labor-intensive sectors as the construction downturn weighs on employment.

The combined number of workers in the two categories declined by 95,000 from a year earlier to 5.73 million in the July-to-September period. That was the lowest total for a third quarter since 1995, according to an analysis of microdata from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Daily workers accounted for a substantial part of the contraction. Their number dropped by 38,000 to 833,000, the lowest third-quarter figure on record. Construction was the main source of that decline: daily workers in the sector decreased by 28,000 to 381,000, representing 74.6 percent of the overall reduction in daily employment.

Workers in their 50s experienced the steepest decrease among age groups in daily construction employment, with their number falling by 21,000. The figures show how the extended slowdown in building activity is affecting workers who often depend on short-term assignments and may have less employment stability than regular staff.

Temporary employment also weakened. The number of employees whose contracts last at least one month but less than one year fell by 57,000 from a year earlier to 4.89 million during the three-month period.

The decline was spread across several industries. Accommodation and food services recorded the largest reduction in temporary workers, losing 30,000 positions. Construction and information and communications each posted decreases of 22,000.

The data point to a labor-market divide in which weaker demand is concentrated among workers with shorter contracts. While the figures do not by themselves show the direction of total employment, the fall in temporary and daily positions provides a measure of pressure in sectors that rely heavily on flexible staffing.

Construction stands out because it drove most of the decline in daily jobs and also recorded a sizable loss of temporary positions. The third-quarter results therefore add employment evidence to concerns about the prolonged slump in the industry, while showing that the effects extend into service and technology-related work as well.