While the upward trend in employment insurance subscribers continues, employment sluggishness persists in the manufacturing sector and among youth. In particular, the number of employment insurance subscribers aged 29 and under decreased by 57,000 compared to the same month last year, and the job-seeking benefit payout in July exceeded 1 trillion won.

According to the employment administration statistics from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the job-seeking benefit payout in July 2026 was tallied at 1.904 trillion won. This represents a decrease of 218 billion won, or 2.0%, compared to the same month last year. Job-seeking benefits are the core component of unemployment benefits, paid to employment insurance-insured workers who involuntarily lose their jobs and engage in re-employment activities while meeting certain conditions. When commonly referred to as unemployment benefits, it often primarily means job-seeking benefits.

New applicants for job-seeking benefits in July totaled 109,000, down 2,000, or 2.2%, from the same month last year. By industry, the health and welfare sector saw an increase of 1,000, retail trade by 900, and public administration by 700. Conversely, construction decreased by 4,900, manufacturing by 1,100, and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries by 100. Although new applicants and payout amounts for job-seeking benefits declined year-on-year, clear differentiation by industry and age group was evident within the labor market.

Manufacturing employment insurance subscribers stood at 3,844,000, down 3,000, or 0.1%, from the same month last year. While subscribers increased in other transportation equipment, electronics and telecommunications, food, and machinery equipment, they declined in textile products, metal processing, chemical products, and automobiles. In July, the decline in subscribers widened in the chemical products and automobile sectors. However, the increase in the electronics and telecommunications and machinery equipment sectors grew larger, the rubber and plastics sector shifted to an upward trend, and the decline in metal processing narrowed, reducing the overall decline in manufacturing subscribers compared to before.

Looking at manufacturing employment by gender, male subscribers increased by 500 compared to the same month last year, returning to a slight upward trend after four months, while female subscribers decreased by 3,300, continuing the downward trend. The difference by age was even more pronounced. In manufacturing, subscribers aged 60 and over increased by 22,000, and those in their 30s also rose by 10,000. Meanwhile, those aged 29 and under decreased by 24,000, those in their 40s by 3,000, and those in their 50s by 7,000. Those aged 60 and over increased by 4,800 in the automobile sector, and those in their 30s rose by 3,400 in the food sector. Conversely, in the automobile sector, those aged 29 and under decreased by 3,500, those in their 40s by 1,900, and those in their 50s by 2,600, revealing differences in employment trends by age.

Looking at total employment insurance subscribers by gender, males stood at 8,672,000, an increase of 90,000 from the same month last year, and females at 7,205,000, up 188,000. By age, those in their 30s increased by 85,000, those in their 40s by 4,000, those in their 50s by 37,000, and those aged 60 and over by 209,000, but those aged 29 and under decreased by 57,000. Among those aged 29 and under, manufacturing subscribers fell by 24,000, information and communications by 15,000, health and welfare by 13,000, and retail trade by 9,000. The decline in youth employment insurance subscribers was not limited to specific industries but appeared simultaneously across multiple sectors.

Meanwhile, employment insurance subscribers in their 40s increased by 4,000 compared to the same month last year, shifting to an upward trend for the first time in 33 months. This was influenced by an increase of 6,000 in the health and welfare sector and 4,000 in the education services sector, along with the narrowed decline in manufacturing to around 3,000.

Summarizing the July employment indicators, while new applicants for job-seeking benefits and payout amounts decreased compared to the same month last year, the decline in employment insurance subscribers in manufacturing and among youth continues. In particular, the downward trend in subscribers aged 29 and under and the employment gap by sector within manufacturing are cited as key indicators for assessing future labor market trends.

[It is difficult to determine the overall labor market or unemployment situation solely based on job-seeking benefit payouts and the number of new applicants. It is necessary to examine related indicators together, such as the number of employment insurance subscribers and employment trends by industry and age. This is an AI-assisted article.]