韓国の5月の雇用者数は前年同月比で4万人減少し、17カ月ぶりの減少となった。中東情勢の長期化が製造業に影響を及ぼしている。
統計庁のデータによると、5月の雇用者数は2912万人で、前年同月の2916万人から減少した。製造業では23カ月連続で雇用が減少し、14万人減となった。一方、保健・社会福祉サービス分野では21万2000人の雇用が増加した。統計局の高級幹部であるビン・ヒョンジュン氏は、中東戦争によるサプライチェーンの混乱が労働市場に反映されるまで時間がかかったと述べた。具潤哲（ク・ユンチョル）企画財政部長官は、紛争による不確実性が高まる中、政府として警戒を強め、先制的な対策を講じる方針を示した。
X（旧Twitter）上での初期の反応は、金融関連アカウントによる「2024年末以来初めての雇用者数減少」という事実を伝える中立的な投稿がほとんどで、ある韓国のユーザーは一般の関心の低さに驚きを示すコメントを投稿している。
[2보] 5월 취업자 4만명 감소…'중동쇼크'에 1년5개월만에 마이너스 https://t.co/Hi2HlEg4Ul
— 연합뉴스 (@yonhaptweet) 2026年6月10日
[속보] 5월 취업자 4만명 감소
— TK2077-KOR (@TK2077_ROK) 2026年6月10日
1년 5개월 만에 마이너스
➡️ 놀라울 정도로 조용하다 ... pic.twitter.com/4rxJ760JQW
- South Korea 🇰🇷: Potential first annual decline in employed persons since Dec 2024
— GAR Capital (@garcapital) 2026年6月10日
- May job count down 40,000 YoY; April saw a gain of 74,000
- Unemployment steady at 2.8%
- UK 🇬🇧 RICS housing survey at -35; forecast was -31.5
- Home price balance matches joint lowest…
S.KOREA MAY JOB COUNT DROPS 40,000 YEAR-ON-YEAR VERSUS APRIL GAIN OF 74,000: STATS OFFICE ...
— MarketNewsFeed (@MarketNews_Feed) 2026年6月10日
AIによるレポート AIによって生成された画像
South Korea added 74,000 jobs in April, marking the slowest growth in 16 months amid higher oil prices and weaker consumer sentiment from the Middle East conflict.
South Korea added 206,000 jobs in March, topping 200,000 for the second straight month. The number of employed people rose 0.7 percent from a year earlier to 28.79 million, data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics showed. Youth employment, however, declined for the 23rd consecutive month.
AIによるレポート
South Korea added 234,000 jobs in February, marking the fastest on-year growth in five months, though youth employment slumped and construction losses persisted. Youth unemployment for ages 15-29 reached 7.7 percent, the highest for any February since 2021. The total number of employed people rose 0.8 percent to 28.41 million, per Ministry of Economy and Finance data.
The United States added 172,000 jobs in May, more than double the expected figure of 85,000. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent.
AIによるレポート
South Korea's exports surged 86 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of June, reaching a new record high driven by strong semiconductor shipments.
South Korea's Bank of Korea unanimously kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.5 percent on April 10, marking the seventh consecutive hold since July 2025 amid high uncertainty from the Middle East war, which has fueled inflation risks, growth slowdowns, and won weakness. Governor Rhee Chang-yong noted the won could strengthen quickly if tensions ease. The next policy meeting is May 28.
AIによるレポート
South Korea's real GDP jumped 1.7 percent in Q1 2026 from the prior quarter—the strongest growth in 5½ years—despite Middle East tensions, easily topping the Bank of Korea's 0.9 percent forecast on robust exports and steady domestic demand. Part of the rebound following 2025's modest 1% annual expansion (see prior article in series).