Short-term jobs hit 31-year low as construction slump batters middle-aged workers

The number of temporary and daily workers in the third quarter of this year (July–September) fell to its lowest level for that period since 1995 — a 31-year low — as short-term jobs dried up in construction and domestic consumption-driven industries, with workers in their 40s and 50s bearing the heaviest blow.

An analysis of microdata from the Ministry of Statistics' economically active population survey released Sunday showed that temporary and daily workers in the third quarter totaled about 5.727 million, down 95,000 from the same period last year. That is the smallest figure for any third quarter since 1995, when the count stood at about 5.451 million.

Among them, daily workers — those hired on a day-to-day basis — numbered 833,000, a drop of 38,000 from a year earlier and the lowest third-quarter figure on record.

The decline in daily workers was heavily driven by the construction sector's slump. Daily workers in construction fell 28,000 from the same period last year to 381,000, accounting for 74.6 percent of the total drop in daily employment.

Wholesale and retail trade followed with a decline of 10,000, then agriculture and fisheries (down 9,000), associations, organizations and other personal services (down 9,000), and accommodation and food services (down 8,000). Excluding agriculture and fisheries, which is undergoing a structural long-term decline, all affected sectors are tied to domestic consumption.

Breaking down the construction sector's daily worker losses by age group, workers in their 50s saw the steepest drop, falling by 21,000.

In wholesale and retail trade, the decline was concentrated among young workers aged 15 to 29, who fell by 6,000. In associations, organizations and other personal services, workers in their 50s recorded the largest drop, down 11,000.

Daily workers in accommodation and food services also declined, led by young workers (down 6,000), followed by those in their 40s (down 2,000) and 50s (down 2,000).

Temporary workers — those on contracts of one month to less than one year — also contracted, falling 57,000 from a year earlier to about 4.894 million.

By industry, accommodation and food services posted the steepest drop in temporary workers, down 30,000. Construction and information and communications each shed 22,000, while wholesale and retail trade fell by 21,000.

By age group, workers in their 40s accounted for the largest decline in accommodation and food services temporary employment, falling 15,000, with those in their 30s (down 10,000) and 50s (down 9,000) also posting notable losses.

In construction, workers aged 60 and older fell by 20,000, while those in their 40s dropped 17,000. In wholesale and retail trade, workers in their 50s led the decline at 13,000, followed by young workers (down 10,000) and those in their 40s (down 9,000).

Analysts warn that the concentration of short-term job losses among workers in their 40s and older — who typically serve as primary breadwinners — could significantly increase the financial strain on vulnerable households.

A supplementary survey on employment types conducted by the Ministry of Statistics in August found that 32.0 percent of non-regular workers took their jobs for involuntary reasons, and 73.9 percent of those said it was because they needed income immediately to cover living expenses.

While temporary and daily workers are classified differently from non-regular workers in official statistics, the two categories overlap substantially, suggesting that the decline in short-term jobs is likely translating into income insecurity for workers who depend on such employment to make ends meet.