ILO Country brief

Republic of Korea: A rapid assessment of the employment impacts of COVID-19

The Republic of Korea was one of the countries to first be affected by COVID-19. While the pandemic has taken a deep toll on the labour market, the country has been on a steady employment recovery. The assessment presents this pathway, taking a look at employment, labour underutilization, the differential effect it had by status in employment and by specific sectors. It further examines the policy response, from a containment strategy emphasizing test, treat and trace to longer-term measures aimed at strengthening the post COVID-19 economy and labour market. The assessment concludes with a number of further policy considerations.