South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 2.6% in September 2026 from 2.7% in August, reaching its lowest level since September 2024. The economy added 113,000 jobs, marking three consecutive months of gains over 100,000 and bringing total employment to 29.27 million. Human health and social work activities led job creation, adding 207,000 workers, while manufacturing rose by 16,000, its first increase since June 2024 and ending a 26-month streak of declines. In contrast, accommodation and food service employment fell by 97,000 for a second consecutive month, recording its largest decline since February 2021. Employment also fell in agriculture, forestry and fishing (-94,000) and construction (-48,000). Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people was 600,000, down 34,000 from the same month a year ago, while the economically inactive population increased by 179,000 to 16,188,000. Youth employment rate for those aged 15 to 29 was 44.0%, down 1.1 percentage points.