{
  "id": 2932426,
  "title": "Korea's wage jobs rise 292,000 in Q1, led by welfare, hospitality sectors",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/koreas-wage-jobs-rise-292-000-in-q1-led-by-welfare-hospitality-sectors-2932426",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-24T03:37:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20260824/koreas-wage-jobs-rise-292000-in-q1-led-by-welfare-hospitality-sectors"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korea experienced a 292,000 increase in wage jobs during the first quarter of 2026, primarily fueled by the health and social welfare, accommodation, and food service sectors, according to official data released on Monday. The Ministry of Data and Statistics reported that the total number of salaried jobs rose to 20.82 million in February, up from 20.52 million a year earlier. Of the newly added jobs, 74% belonged to the same workers who held them previously, while 15.3% were filled by new hires due to retirements or job changes. Ten.7% of the jobs were created following the opening of new businesses or business expansions.\n\nHealth and social welfare sector saw the largest job growth, with 127,000 additional wage jobs, while the accommodation and food service sectors added 59,000 jobs. Conversely, manufacturing jobs fell by 1,000, and construction jobs declined by 52,000. In the manufacturing sector, the chip industry added 5,000 wage jobs, while the textile dyeing segment shed 3,000 jobs. The communications and broadcasting sectors also saw job changes, but the specific numbers were not provided in the official report.",
  "summary": "Korea added 292,000 wage jobs in the first quarter of 2026, driven by gains in the health and social welfare, accommodation, and food service sectors, while manufacturing and construction lost ground, official data showed Monday. The number of salaried jobs stood at 20.82 million as of February, up 292,000 from a year earlier, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said. According to the latest…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "S. Korea's wage jobs rise 292,000 in Q1, led by welfare, hospitality sectors",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/s-koreas-wage-jobs-rise-292-000-in-q1-led-by-welfare-hospitality",
        "published": "2026-08-24T03:00:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Korea's wage jobs rise 292,000 in Q1, led by welfare, hospitality sectors",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/koreas-wage-jobs-rise-292-000-in-q1-led-by-welfare-hospitality-sectors",
        "published": "2026-08-24T03:32:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}