South Korea observed its first reduction in labor union membership and unionization rate in over a decade, according to a report by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The total unionized workforce dwindled by 210,000 to 2.72 million in 2022, marking the end of an 11-year growth streak. Concurrently, the unionization rate declined by 1.1 percentage points to 13.1%, its first decrease in seven years, despite the establishment of 431 new unions and an addition of 72,000 members.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) — two of the country’s largest umbrella labor unions — had 1.12 million and 1.1 million members, respectively. The data indicates a sector-wide shift, particularly evident in the reduction of union members in the construction sector.