Employment insurance subscribers grew overall, but stark gaps emerged among young people and in manufacturing. Subscribers aged 29 and under fell by 57,000 from a year earlier, while those aged 60 and over increased by more than 200,000. Job-seeking benefits, which support the unemployed during their re-employment period, also exceeded 1 trillion won for July alone, showing the mixed trends in the labor market.

Job-Seeking Benefit Payouts at 1.0904 Trillion Won... Down 2.0% from a Year Earlier

According to employment administration statistics from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, job-seeking benefit payouts in July 2026 totaled 1.0904 trillion won, down 21.8 billion won, or 2.0%, from the same month last year. New applicants numbered 109,000, a decrease of 2,000 from a year earlier.

Job-seeking benefits are paid to workers enrolled in employment insurance who lose their jobs regardless of their own intentions, provided they meet benefit eligibility and re-employment activity requirements. They typically account for the largest share of unemployment benefits.

New applicants showed divergent trends by industry. Construction fell by 4,900, manufacturing by 1,100, and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries by 100 compared to the previous year. In contrast, health and welfare increased by 1,000, wholesale and retail by 900, and public administration by 700.

Ages 29 and Under Down 57,000 vs. Ages 60 and Over Up 209,000

The gap was even clearer by age group. Subscribers in their 30s increased by 85,000, those in their 50s by 37,000, and those aged 60 and over by 209,000 from a year earlier. Those in their 40s also rose by 4,000, returning to growth for the first time in 33 months.

Meanwhile, subscribers aged 29 and under fell by 57,000 from the same month last year. By industry, manufacturing declined by 24,000, information and communications by 15,000, health and welfare by 13,000, and wholesale and retail by 9,000. Notably, the decline in young subscribers occurred simultaneously across multiple industries rather than being confined to a specific sector.

By gender, male subscribers rose by 90,000 to 8.672 million and female subscribers by 188,000 to 7.205 million, maintaining the overall trend of expansion.

Manufacturing Subscribers at 3.844 Million... Signs of Improvement with Narrowing Decline

Manufacturing employment insurance subscribers in July stood at 3.844 million, down 3,000 from the same month last year, a decline rate of 0.1%. Among detailed industries, subscribers increased in other transportation equipment, electronics and communications, food products, and machinery equipment, while they decreased in textiles, metal processing, chemical products, and automobiles. In particular, the declines in chemical products and automobiles widened.

However, some signs of improvement were confirmed within manufacturing. The gains in electronics and communications and machinery equipment expanded, and rubber and plastics returned to growth. The decline in metal processing also narrowed from before, partially offsetting the overall decrease in manufacturing.

By gender, male manufacturing subscribers rose by 500, posting growth for the first time in four months, while female subscribers fell by 3,300, continuing their downward trend. By age, those 60 and over increased by 22,000 and those in their 30s by 10,000, but those 29 and under fell by 24,000, and those in their 40s and 50s declined by 3,000 and 7,000, respectively.

Looking at industry and age together, in the automobile sector, subscribers aged 60 and over increased by 4,800, but those 29 and under fell by 3,500, those in their 40s by 1,900, and those in their 50s by 2,600. Among those in their 30s, food product industry subscribers rose by 3,400.

Ages 40s Return to Growth for the First Time in 33 Months

Those in their 40s saw increases of 6,000 in health and welfare and 4,000 in educational services, while the manufacturing decline narrowed to around 3,000, bringing total employment insurance subscribers back into positive territory for the first time in 33 months.

Points to Watch Going Forward

July's employment indicators are difficult to interpret in one direction. New job-seeking benefit applicants and payouts declined from the previous year, but payouts themselves still exceeded 1 trillion won. Total employment insurance subscribers increased, yet declines continued among young people and in parts of manufacturing. Going forward, key points to watch in the labor market will include not only overall subscriber changes, but also how long the decline in subscribers aged 29 and under continues and whether the trends in declining manufacturing sectors such as automobiles and chemicals shift.

[This article was written based on public statistics from the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The overall labor market situation or future employment conditions cannot be determined solely from changes in employment insurance subscribers and the scale of job-seeking benefit payouts. Detailed indicators may vary by industry, age, and employment type. This article was written with AI assistance.]