Selected Issues Papers

Healthy Aging and Labor Market Participation in Korea: Republic of Korea

ByAndresa Helena Lagerborg, Hoda Selim

December 3, 2025

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Format: Chicago

Andresa Helena Lagerborg, and Hoda Selim. "Healthy Aging and Labor Market Participation in Korea: Republic of Korea", Selected Issues Papers 2025, 148 (2025), accessed 12/23/2025, https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229032773.018

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Summary

This paper investigate whether health improvements among Korean older workers influence their labor market outcomes, such as the decision to supply labor or to retire. The findings reveal that better health increases the probability of participating in the labor force and postponing retirement. Overall, the results suggest that healthy aging has increased the labor supply of older individuals in Korea by around 1.9 percentage points per year during the 2006-20 period. Reforms to promoting employment of elderly workers can boost labor supply and help mitigate the adverse effects of ageing on the labor market.

Subject: Aging, Health, Labor, Labor force, Labor force participation, Labor markets, Population and demographics

Keywords: Aging, Asia and Pacific, demographic change, elderly worker, Global, healthy aging, IMF country, IMF staff, issues paper, Korea labor markets, Labor force, Labor force participation, Labor markets, participation in Korea, Population aging