South Korea had 20.83 million wage-worker jobs in the first quarter, measured as of February, up 292,000 from a year earlier, the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said Monday. The annual increase accelerated from just 15,000 in the first quarter of 2025, but businesses created only 2.226 million jobs through formation or expansion, compared with 2.212 million a year earlier.

Most of the acceleration came from fewer positions disappearing as companies closed or contracted. Such losses fell to 1.934 million from 2.197 million, accounting for about 95% of the 277,000 improvement in annual net job growth. Health and social