Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Ushers in Era of One Million Regular Employees Alongside Local Industry Leaders

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it held a roundtable at 10:30 AM today (17th) in the Chamber Hall on the 2nd floor of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry to commemorate the achievement of “One Million Regular Employees in Busan” and to share employment outcomes with local companies.

The event was organized to celebrate Busan’s historic milestone of surpassing one million regular employees for the first time and to express gratitude to the companies that made this achievement possible.

The roundtable was attended by Mayor Park Heong-joon and over 40 representatives from leading local businesses in manufacturing, investment, high-performing employment companies, and youth-oriented firms.

Recently, Busan's employment indicators have shown an overall positive trend:
▲ A record-high employment rate
▲ Continued growth in the number of employed persons
▲ A historic high in the number of regular employees.

According to Statistics Korea’s “June 2025 Employment Trends” released yesterday (16th), Busan's employment rate for individuals aged 15 and over stood at 59.0%, and the employment rate for those aged 15–64 was 68.5%, both up from the same month the previous year, marking all-time highs.

During the same period, the number of employed persons increased by 15,000, and the number of wage earners—including regular employees—rose by 51,000. In contrast, the number of non-wage workers, such as the self-employed, decreased by 36,000.

Despite a decline in the population aged 15 and over, the number of employed persons increased by 15,000.

Although employment in the self-employed and construction sectors decreased due to economic downturns, employment in manufacturing and business, personal, and public services significantly increased, driving overall job growth.

Even as manufacturing employment has been declining nationwide, Busan saw a year-on-year increase of 12,000 in manufacturing jobs, indicating a recovery in the city's industrial competitiveness.

Notably, the number of regular employees surpassed one million for the first time since statistics were recorded, signaling growth in stable employment opportunities.

Regular employees are those with employment contracts of one year or longer, indicating job stability. A consistent increase in such jobs implies a virtuous employment cycle—offering job security and income growth for workers and accumulated experience and productivity gains for businesses—meaning more high-quality jobs are being created.

Busan, previously falling short of the national average in the number of regular employees due to its service-based industrial structure, low manufacturing share, and high rate of self-employment, has recently seen rapid growth in this figure, with the rate of increase being the highest among major cities.

This is an unprecedented achievement even during the period when Busan's population approached four million. It suggests that employment indicators have improved due to policies pursued since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration, including industrial structure reform, strategic investment attraction, industry-academia collaboration, and talent development focused on digital transformation.

Mayor Park congratulated the city's entry into the era of one million regular employees, shared outcomes with the business community that contributed to job creation and industrial competitiveness, and discussed future employment and industrial strategies.

He emphasized that this achievement was made possible by the city’s policies to create high-quality jobs, the hiring efforts of businesses, and the contributions of working citizens.

He also introduced initiatives to foster local talent, such as the operation of the Busan Digital Innovation Academy, the Regional Innovation-led University Support System (RISE), and job support policies.

Furthermore, he promised to continuously promote tailored regional policies to vitalize the labor market and boost the local economy through expanded private investment, the development of the Centum 2 High-tech Industrial Complex, and resolving job mismatches.

Mayor Park stated, “I deeply thank the citizens and local businesses who have silently worked on the ground to help usher in the era of one million regular employees,” adding, “We will continue to support every job seeker in becoming a regular employee and building a stable life foundation to realize their dreams. I will work even harder to make Busan a city of jobs and to open the era of 1.5 million regular employees, full of dreams and opportunities for youth.”