In brief
South Korea’s non‑wage workforce reached 6.625 million in August 2026, up 71,000 from August 2025, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The rise, the first in three years, was led by those in their 30s and seniors aged 70 and older, with unemployment characters among these groups increasing markedly. No conflicting reports were found on the figures, and all data come directly from the ministerial statistics released by Xinhua.
South Korea’s Ministry of Data and Statistics said on Wednesday that the number of non‑wage workers—those who are self‑employed or serve as unpaid family employees—rose in August 2026 for the first time in three years. The figure climbed to 6.625 million, up 71,000 from the same month a year earlier.
For the first time since 2023, when the count fell to 6.724 million, the sector rebounded, marking an increase after declines to 6.657 million in 2024 and 6.554 million in 2025.
The new total constituted 22.7 percent of South Korea’s employed population, a rise of 0.1 percentage points from a year earlier. The Ministry noted that the growth was driven largely by new business openings, especially among older adults and young people.
Self‑employed workers with employees increased 47,000 to 1.481 million, while those without employees grew 62,000 to 4.303 million. Unpaid family workers fell 37,000 to 841,000.
The most pronounced gains appeared in the 30‑year‑old bracket, which added 55,000 workers, and among the 15‑to‑29 age group, which saw 24,000 more. Seniors aged 70 and older expanded by 23,000 to reach a record 965,000 non‑wage workers, now representing 14.6 percent of all non‑wage workers—a share not seen since data collection began in 2007.
These figures, released by the government and reported by Xinhua, are the most recent public data available and represent the confirmed state of non‑wage employment as of August 2026.
