South Korea had 20.828 million wage jobs as of February in the first quarter of 2026, up 292,000 from a year earlier, with workers aged 60 and over accounting for 233,000, or 79.8%, of the net increase. Employment among people aged 29 and under fell by 76,000 for a 14th consecutive quarter, while the number of people in their 20s and 30s who were neither working nor seeking employment averaged 680,000 per month this year. Health and social welfare led industry gains, while construction remained the weakest major sector. A 56% wage gap between large companies and smaller workplaces, declining youth employment and selective opportunities in AI and semiconductors highlight South Korea's widening labor-market divide.