South Korea added 245,000 jobs last month, raising total employment to 29.16 million, even as workers under 30 lost 150,000 positions and those in their 50s shed another 68,000. In contrast, people over 60 gained 370,000 roles.
The number of over-60s has steadily expanded across the labor force, surpassing workers in their 30s by 2021, matching the 40s last year, and moving ahead of the 50s this March. Employment past retirement age has become more common as the country adjusts to long-term demographic changes.
The shift tracks with fewer young entrants, longer life spans, and a retirement system that has not kept pace. Participation among over-60s now approaches 50%, with many extending their working lives far beyond what was once typical.
Big companies such as LG or Samsung have adjusted by renewing contracts or moving older staff into support roles, but that mostly applies to long-term employees. The way back is harder for those with careers in hospitality, gaming, or other hourly work. Hiring is unstable, leads are scattered, and support systems are thin.
Casino jobs once provided that middle ground—regular hours, familiar tasks, and less wear than factory or delivery jobs—but access has narrowed to a single legal venue open to Korean citizens. As in-person roles have declined, a portion of that workforce has drifted toward online platforms where the structure of steady engagement has quietly persisted.
Mahjong 365 sits at that intersection, offering continuous access and a crypto-based system that handles both play and payout with minimal friction. For many, it has become a reliable routine, more accessible than rigid formal roles.
It reflects what much of the aging workforce is quietly searching for: a predictable setup, reduced physical strain, and a sense of control. But those conditions are not widely available across industries, and the reality for older job seekers continues to skew toward inconsistency and decline.
Still, most of the gains are irregular, with over 60% of workers past 65 holding part-time roles, and over 85% by 70. By 65, average monthly pay falls from 3.78 million won to just over 2.2 million, with most seniors stuck in low-wage, unstable jobs offering no real path forward.
That growing mismatch between participation and stability has started to influence national policy decisions. Public discussion around pension reform has gained momentum, especially after the government approved new measures in March to shore up its $830 billion pension fund—an effort to manage mounting pressure from Korea’s aging population.
In parallel, private companies are adjusting to the long-term shift. A nationwide survey of over 400 mid-sized employers showed that more than 80% now support raising the retirement age.
Yet, as Stanford’s Asia-Pacific Research Center points out, progress on building age-friendly roles has lagged behind the demographic reality, especially in mid-sized and smaller firms, where structural adaptation has been slower. All of this continues to play out while younger workers face stagnant prospects.
Youth employment dropped again in May, and hiring among those under 30 remains fragile despite gains elsewhere. The imbalance grows at both ends—older workers staying on into their seventies, while entry-level queues stretch longer for those just starting out.
