KDI, 올해 한국 성장률 3.2%로 상향했지만…고용 전망은 뒷걸음질

The Korean Development Institute (KDI) has increased its forecast for South Korea's economic growth rate for this year to 3.2%, despite concerns over the impact on employment. The revised August outlook from KDI predicts the country's gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 3.2% this year, up 0.7 percentage points from the 2.5% forecast in the first half of the year.

This marks the lowest annual increase since the severe outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, which saw a job growth of -21.8 thousand people. While the semiconductor sector is driving the growth, the employment effects are limited due to the industry's lack of job creation, especially outside of the sector. The government had previously forecasted 3.0% growth for the second half of the year based on the economic growth strategy.

KDI's economic outlook chief, Kim Mi-ru, explained that the 0.7 percentage point increase in the growth rate forecast is primarily due to the semiconductor boom and its ripple effects, with investment in AI infrastructure contributing to a 7.9% increase in equipment investment. The semiconductor industry's export growth was 8.7% compared to the previous year, and manufacturing output is estimated to be at 3.6 trillion dollars, a significantly higher number than the previous 1.9 trillion dollars.

However, the employment growth is projected to be only 11 thousand people, down 42% from the previous year.