South Korea’s working population aged 55 to 79 surpassed 10 million for the first time as of May 2026, according to government data released on Aug. 5, highlighting the country’s growing reliance on older workers as its population ages.
The National Data Administration said the economically active population in the 55-to-79 age group reached 10.36 million in May, up 352,000 from a year earlier. The number of employed seniors rose to 10.13 million, an increase of 345,000, marking the first time the figure has exceeded 10 million since comparable records began in 2005.
The senior population totaled 17.02 million, up 570,000 from a year earlier. The labor-force participation rate held at a record 60.9%, while the employment rate remained at an all-time high of 59.5%.
The survey defines seniors as people aged 55 and older, reflecting the minimum eligibility age used in government employment-support programs.
Older South Koreans are also staying in their jobs longer. Among respondents who have worked at some point in their lives, 30.5% said they are still employed in the position they have held the longest, up 0.4 percentage point from a year earlier.
Average tenure at the longest-held job increased to 17 years and 7 months, compared with 17 years and 6 months a year earlier. Men averaged 21 years and 9 months, while women averaged 13 years and 7 months
Workers with tenures of 10 to 20 years accounted for the largest share at 28.7%, followed by those with 30 years or more at 22.5% and 20 to 30 years at 19.9%.
Among those who had left their longest-held job, the average age at departure edged up to 53.0, from 52.9 a year earlier.
The most common reason for leaving was business difficulties, production shutdowns or company closures, cited by 24.9% of respondents. Health issues accounted for 22.1%, while 15.2% said they left to care for family members.
The survey found that 11.78 million seniors, or 69.2% of the age group, hope to remain employed in the future. Although the share slipped 0.2 percentage point from last year’s record high, it remained the second-highest level on record.
Respondents said they would like to continue working until an average age of 73.6, up from 73.4 a year earlier.
The leading reason for wanting to remain employed was to supplement living expenses, cited by 53.4% of respondents. While still the dominant reason, the share has gradually declined since reaching 60.2% in 2019.
Meanwhile, 36.7% said they wanted to keep working because they enjoy it, up 0.6 percentage point from a year earlier and extending a five-year upward trend.
The survey also underscored the limited financial support many retirees receive from pensions.
About 52.7% of seniors, or 8.97 million people, received pension payments during the past year, up 1.0 percentage point from a year earlier.
Average monthly pension income rose 2.1% to about $630, well below the estimated minimum monthly cost of living for a single-person household of roughly $1,100.
The largest share of pension recipients, 37.7%, received between about $180 and $360 a month. Another 33.2% received approximately $360 to $720, while 15.9% collected at least $1,080 per month.
