Seoul: The employment rate among individuals in their 20s witnessed a decline in 2025, marking the first decrease in five years. This downturn is attributed to a shrinking population and a fragile job market, as revealed by data on Sunday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the employment rate for people in their 20s was recorded at 60.2 percent last year, reflecting a 0.8 percentage point decrease from the previous year. This marks the first on-year decline since 2020, a period when hiring was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The total number of employed individuals in their 20s stood at 3.44 million last year, representing a reduction of 170,000 compared to the previous year. This downward trend has persisted for three consecutive years, with the decline accelerating from a decrease of 82,000 in 2023 to 124,000 in 2024.

The decline in population has been identified as a major contributing factor, with the number of people in their 20s decreasing for five consecutive years since 2021. However, the employment reduction has outpaced the population decline, indicating a more extensive weakness in the labor market.

Yang Jun-seok, a professor of economics at the Catholic University of Korea, observed, "In the past, many people found jobs in their 20s, but there is now a growing tendency for people to wait until their 30s in search of better opportunities."

Additional data from the ministry highlighted that jobs at large conglomerates totaled 4.43 million in 2024, an increase of 17,000 from the previous year. However, the proportion of jobs held by the same workers increased by 0.8 percentage point to 84.4 percent, suggesting limited job mobility.