Half of new jobs in South Korea were created for elderly people last year, with youth employment rising slightly, reports Xinhua, citing data from Statistics Korea. The number of jobs stood at 26.45 million in 2022, up 870,000 from the previous year. Jobs for those aged 60 or older increased by 440,000, accounting for more than half of last year's total job growth. It was followed by 260,000 new jobs for those in their 50s, 100,000 jobs for those in their 40s and 50,000 for those in their 30s. Meanwhile, the number of jobs created for those in their 20s stood merely at 10,000 last year amid the lower youth population.

Of the total jobs, 47.4% were created by incorporated companies, while privately owned entities comprised 31.4%. The government and unincorporated organisations made up 11.4% of the total number of jobs last year. By industry, the health and social welfare sector added the highest of 120,000 new jobs, trailed by the wholesale and retail sector with 110,000 new jobs and the manufacturing industry with 90,000 jobs.