In the latter half of last year, Seogwipo City in Jeju recorded the highest employment rate among basic local government areas. Meanwhile, Bucheon in Gyeonggi, Gumi in North Gyeongsang, and Geoje in South Gyeongsang were identified as cities with particularly high unemployment rates.
According to the 2024 Regional Employment Survey for the Second Half of the Year – Employment Indicators for Cities, Counties, and Districts, published by Statistics Korea on the 20th, the number of employed individuals in city regions during the second half of last year was 14,062,000, reflecting an increase of 56,000 compared to the same period the previous year. However, the employment rate in city regions stood at 62.4%, marking a slight decrease of 0.1 percentage points.
In county regions, the number of employed individuals increased by 2,115,000 year-on-year. The employment rate was recorded at 69.4%, reflecting a 0.5 percentage point increase from the previous year—the highest level for the second half of the year since employment statistics began in 2013. In the seven special and metropolitan city districts, the number of employed individuals rose by 93,000, bringing the employment rate to 59%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points.
Among city regions, Seogwipo City in Jeju had the highest employment rate at 71.4%, followed by Dangjin City in South Chungcheong at 71.3% and Gimje City in North Jeolla at 68.8%. In county regions, Ulleung County in North Gyeongsang recorded an employment rate of 83.5%, followed by Sinan County in South Jeolla at 79.1% and Jangsu County in North Jeolla at 77.7%. Among the special and metropolitan city districts, Gunwi County in Daegu had the highest employment rate at 75.3%, with Ongjin County in Incheon at 74.5% and Gangseo District in Busan at 70.3%.
Conversely, the unemployment rate in city regions stood at 2.9%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year. In county regions, it was 1.1%, while in the special and metropolitan city districts, it reached 3.4%.
Bucheon City in Gyeonggi had the highest unemployment rate among city regions at 5.2%, followed by Gumi City in North Gyeongsang at 4.8% and Geoje City in South Gyeongsang at 3.4%. In county regions, the highest unemployment rate was recorded in Goseong County in Gangwon at 2.6%. Among special and metropolitan city districts, Yeongdo District in Busan also had a rate of 5.2%.
A representative from Statistics Korea explained, “Regions with a higher concentration of young people or individuals in their 30s and 40s tend to experience higher unemployment rates. Additionally, areas with industrial complexes often see increased unemployment due to more active job-seeking activities.”
The areas with the highest proportion of the working-age population compared to the resident population were Jung-gu in Seoul (333.9%), Jung-gu in Busan (211.3%), and Jung-gu in Daegu (157.5%). The working-age population includes both employed and unemployed individuals working in enterprises within the region. A high working-age-to-resident population ratio suggests a high job density, attracting a significant number of commuters from other areas.
Source: ChosunBiz / Courtesy of Statistics Korea
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