• Commentary
  • Research
  • Experts
  • Events
Carnegie China logoCarnegie lettermark logo
Beyond the Demographic Cliff: Workforce Trends and Economic Adaptation in Hyper-Aged Korea
Research

Beyond the Demographic Cliff: Workforce Trends and Economic Adaptation in Hyper-Aged Korea

South Korea’s demographic shift toward an increasingly older population is reshaping the country’s workforce. To ensure continued economic well-being, South Korea must prioritize workforce adaptation through technological innovation, skill development, and structural reforms.

Link Copied
By Darcie Draudt-Véjares
Published on Jul 29, 2025
Read the Publication

About the Author

Darcie Draudt-Véjares

Fellow, Asia Program

Darcie Draudt-Véjares is a fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    Governing Aging Economies: South Korea and the Politics of Care, Safety, and Work

      Darcie Draudt-Véjares

  • Commentary
    What Happens When a Conservative Movement Continues on Without a Leader?

      Darcie Draudt-Véjares

Darcie Draudt-Véjares
Fellow, Asia Program
Darcie Draudt-Véjares
South KoreaAsia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

  • An aerial view shows containers stacked at a port in Taicang, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on May 18, 2025.
    Commentary
    How to Predict China’s Economic Performance for 2025: A Sectoral Approach

    GDP growth means something fundamentally different in China than in most countries.

      Michael Pettis

  • People wave Chinese flags as the plane carrying Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for a two-day state visit at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on April 14, 2025
    Article
    How Southeast Asia Sees Xi Jinping’s Regional Push Amid U.S.-China Tensions

    The Trump administration’s effort to reshape the global trading system and reset overseas security commitments is creating an historic inflection point.  Less clear is how far China will be able to capitalize on these dynamics.

      • +1

      Li Mingjiang, Le Hong Hiep, Ngeow Chow Bing, …

  • Article
    Northeast Asia Is for Deterrence and Southeast Asia Is (Mostly) for Freeriding: Appreciating Divergent East Asian Approaches to Order, Uncertainty, and Contestation

    Most Southeast Asian states behave as if the actions of their Northeast Asian neighbors and the Philippines will be sufficient to maintain a regional status quo from which they can benefit.

      Chong Ja Ian

  • Paper
    Chinese Mining Companies and Local Mobilization in Myanmar

    Chinese economic players in Myanmar initially relied on ties to the government and ruling elites. Faced with controversy, they turned to actors that local communities trust and listen to as de facto partners and informal advisers.

      Xue Gong

  • Commentary
    South Korea Is Caught Between China and the United States

    But Seoul’s positioning is not all bad. As South Korea and other Asian countries step gingerly with one eye on the superpowers’ rivalry, there are also opportunities to be found.

      Chung Min Lee

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
Carnegie China logo, white
  • Research
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.