Demand for care is rapidly increasing due to the aging population of Gangwon… ‘Social welfare service industry’ ranks 1st in employment

Due to the rapid increase in demand for care due to the aging population, the proportion of workers in the ‘social welfare service industry’ was found to be the highest among all employed people in the Gangwon region. On the other hand, the number of employed people in the construction industry, which is experiencing a recession, has plummeted.

According to the ‘Regional Employment Survey for the Second Half of 2023’ announced by Statistics Korea on the 23rd, as of the second half of last year (October), the total number of employed people in Gangwon Self-Governing Province was 867,000, an increase of 19,900 (2.3%) compared to the previous year.

Among them, the number of employed people in the social welfare service industry was 94,400, an increase of 7,300 (6.4%) compared to the previous year. This is the largest number of people in the second half of the year since 2013, when Statistics Korea began compiling related statistics. One in 10 employed people in the Gangwon region is a social welfare service worker. The proportion of employed people in the social welfare service industry ranked first among the eight metropolitan autonomous provinces. As the demand for care increases due to the accelerated aging population, the number of nursing homes and welfare facilities for the elderly has increased, and the number of caregivers is also expected to increase.

On the other hand, the construction industry is taking a big hit due to the long-term economic downturn. The number of people employed in the construction industry in the province was 75,400, a decrease of 5,000 from a year ago.

The reason for the decrease in the number of employed people in the construction-related industry is interpreted to be the result of a combination of complex factors, such as the tightness of the project financing (PF) market in the overall economic downturn caused by high inflation and high interest rates, and a lack of work due to the recession in the construction industry.

In the end, the number of employed people in the construction-related industry also decreased sequentially. The number of employed people in the real estate industry decreased by 300 (-26.4%) to 11,100 in the second half of last year, and the rental industry excluding real estate also decreased by 1,300 (-43.3%) to 1,700.

An official from the National Statistical Office said, “In the case of the Gangwon region, the number of employed people in the ‘social welfare service industry’ was the highest among the 17 cities and provinces in the country due to the surge in demand for care,” and “Even nationwide, the building and industrial facility cleaning and pest control service industry declined due to the contraction of the construction industry.” “There was a significant decline in employment in the interior construction and finishing construction industries,” he said.