SEOUL, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The employment rate for foreign residents in South Korea reached 64.7 percent in 2024, statistical office data showed Tuesday.
Among 1.56 million foreign residents aged 15 or higher, 64.7 percent had jobs in 2024, while 3.9 percent were unemployed and 31.4 percent were economically inactive, according to Statistics Korea.
Of the employed foreigners, 45.6 percent worked in the mining and manufacturing industry, while 18.9 percent were hired in the wholesale, retail, lodging and eatery businesses.
Those who worked for private businesses or in the public service sector took up 14.2 percent of the total, followed by 10.6 percent in the construction industry and 8.3 percent in the agriculture and fishery industry.
Foreign employees who earned a monthly average salary of between 2 million won (1,380 U.S. dollars) and 3 million won (2,070 dollars) accounted for 51.2 percent of the total, while 37.1 percent received more than 3 million won. ■
