In September, employment increased by 113,000 compared to the same month last year, marking the third consecutive month of gains exceeding 100,000. While manufacturing jobs saw their first increase in 27 months, the accommodation and food services sector experienced its largest decline in over five years. The youth employment rate continued to decline for the 47th month, indicating ongoing challenges in the job market.
According to the National Data Agency's 'September 2026 Employment Trends' report released on the 16th, the number of employed individuals aged 15 and older reached 29,266,000, an increase of 113,000 from the previous year. This growth was a reduction of 71,000 from the 184,000 jobs added in August.
This year, employment figures fluctuated, with increases ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 from January to March, followed by a drop of 74,000 in April and a decrease of 40,000 in May. However, the trend reversed in June with an increase of 63,000 jobs, followed by 108,000 in July and 184,000 in August, maintaining a three-month streak of 100,000-plus gains through September.
By industry, manufacturing jobs increased by 16,000, marking the first rise since June 2024, when 9,000 jobs were added. This ended a 26-month streak of declines in manufacturing employment.
Conversely, the accommodation and food services sector saw a reduction of 97,000 jobs, continuing a downward trend for the second consecutive month. This decline was larger than the 61,000 jobs lost in August and represents the most significant drop since February 2021, when 232,000 jobs were lost.
Construction jobs decreased by 48,000, while agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors lost 94,000 jobs, and educational services saw a decline of 53,000 jobs.
The sector with the largest job growth was health and social services, which added 207,000 jobs compared to the same month last year. Transportation and warehousing added 54,000 jobs, while finance and insurance saw an increase of 32,000 jobs.
The youth employment crisis persisted, with 14,700 fewer jobs for individuals aged 15 to 29 compared to the previous year, marking 47 months of continuous decline. The youth employment rate fell to 44.0%, a drop of 1.1 percentage points, continuing a 29-month downward trend. The youth unemployment rate rose to 5.4%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points.
By age group, employment for those aged 60 and older increased by 172,000. Employment for individuals in their 30s and 50s rose by 81,000 and 48,000, respectively. In contrast, employment for those in their 20s decreased by 170,000, and 42,000 jobs were lost in the 40s age group.
In terms of employment status, the number of regular workers increased by 253,000, while temporary and daily workers decreased by 81,000 and 55,000, respectively. Self-employed individuals with employees saw a decline of 8,000, while those without employees increased by 49,000.
The employment rate for those aged 15 and older was 63.5%, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous year. The employment rate for the 15-64 age group, as per OECD standards, rose to 70.6%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points.
The total number of unemployed individuals was 600,000, a decrease of 34,000 from the previous year. The unemployment rate fell to 2.0%, down 0.1 percentage points.
The economically inactive population increased by 179,000 to 16,188,000. Among them, those engaged in household duties rose by 99,000, while students and trainees increased by 73,000. However, the number of individuals who reported being inactive due to 'resting' decreased by 25,000. The number of discouraged job seekers was 368,000, a decrease of 1,000.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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