In the third quarter of this year, 1.04 million people were working in the healthcare industry. That marked an increase of 3.7 percent, or 37,000, from a year ago.

According to the Health Industry Employment Trends for the third quarter released by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), the number of workers aged 60 and more is growing at a higher rate than other age groups due to the changing demographic structure, with an 11.0 percent year-on-year increase.

However, the number of workers 29 and younger, who account for 25.6 percent, decreased by 1.6 percent year-on-year.

Across the healthcare industry, female workers grew more than men. The number of women increased by 3.9 percent, while that of male workers increased by only 2.9 percent. In particular, the increase rate of female workers in the pharmaceutical industry (4.9 percent) was relatively high, while the number of male workers in the medical device industry was the highest, with 3.6 percent.

The number of workers in the medical device and medical services industries increased by 3.8 percent year-on-year, far higher than other industries.

In the third quarter of this year, the number of workers in the medical device industry totaled 61,000, an increase of 3.8 percent year-on-year. Due to the recovery in exports of ultrasound imaging diagnostic devices and radiography devices, the number of workers in that sector marked the highest growth rate of 5.6 percent.

Following it was other medical device manufacturing, with 4.7 percent, orthopedic and body correction device manufacturing (4.4 percent), and dental device manufacturing (4.3 percent).

In the third quarter, medical service workers increased by 3.8 percent year-on-year to 868,000, accounting for 82.9 percent of all healthcare workers. The number of workers in oriental medicine hospitals increased the most, with 8.9 percent, followed by general hospitals and neighborhood clinics, which increased by more than 5 percent year-on-year.

In the third quarter of 2023, 6,958 new jobs were created in the health industry. The medical service industry, which includes healthcare workers, accounted for 5,713 (82.1 percent), followed by the pharmaceutical industry with 497 and the medical device industry with 423.

By occupation, health and medical workers accounted for the largest number of new jobs at 2,720 (39.1 percent), followed by nurses at 1,382 (19.9 percent), medical technicians, therapists, and rehabilitators at 444 (6.4 percent), manufacturing workers at 370 (5.3 percent), and management support clerks at 325 (4.7 percent).

"In the third quarter of this year, the number of jobs in the health industry has been increasing at a higher rate than other industries, indicating a favorable trend," said Han Dong-woo, head of the Health Industry Innovation Planning Corps at the institute.

Han added that it is necessary to recover new jobs in the health industry to expand employment among young people, who are growing at a lower rate than older people, and to prepare alternatives for the employment environment of older people who are being integrated into the economically active population.