SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's self-employed fell so far this year amid the weakening of domestic demand, data from the statistical office showed Wednesday.
The number of non-wage workers, including self-employed with and without employees as well as unpaid family workers, reduced 67,000 from a year earlier to 6,657,000 in August 2024, according to Statistics Korea.
Self-employed who hired employees added 26,000 to 1,439,000, but self-employed without employees sank 64,000 to 4,306,000.
The number of non-wage workers in the wholesale and retail and the eatery and lodging industries declined 54,000 and 22,000 on weaker domestic demand, while those in the science and technology and the arts and sports sectors gained 14,000 and 11,000 respectively.
Non-wage workers aged 15-29 and over 60 climbed 11,000 and 10,000 each, while those in their 30s, 40s and 50s dwindled 59,000, 1,000 and 28,000.
The proportion of non-wage workers to the total employed kept decreasing for the past decade from 28.6 percent in 2012 to 25.5 percent in 2018 and 23.1 percent in 2024. ■