South Korea’s temporary and daily jobs fall to the lowest third-quarter level in 31 years, with government data showing weakness across several sectors. In the July–September period, the combined number of temporary and daily workers drops year-on-year by 95,000 to 5.73 million, the smallest for a Q3 since 1995.
The decline is largely driven by daily work, which falls by 38,000 to a record Q3 low of 833,000, with construction employment playing a major role. Daily construction workers decrease by 28,000 to 381,000, making up about three-quarters of the overall daily-job decline. Temporary workers (contracts lasting at least one month but under a year) also decrease by 57,000 to 4.89 million.
By sector, accommodations and food services record the largest reduction in temporary workers, down 30,000, followed by construction and information and communications, each down 22,000. Both outlets attribute the downturn in part to a prolonged construction slump, reflecting broader labor-market softness in the quarter.
