Healthy Aging and Labor Market Participation in Korea: Republic of Korea
December 3, 2025
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
Pages:
19
Volume:
2025
DOI:
Issue:
148
Series:
Selected Issues Paper No. 2025/148
Stock No:
SIPEA2025148
ISBN:
9798229032773
ISSN:
2958-7875





