SEOUL, KOREA - The number of new jobs has continued at the 500,000 level for two consecutive months. According to data made public by the National Statistical Office on January 15, the employment number in the month of December was 24,962,000, up 560,000 from the previous month, with the employment rate of 59.1 percent, up 0.8 percentage point from the same month last year.

 

The jobs number has continued its upward trend since February 2013 when the number was at the nadir of 201,000. The figure was 265,000 in May, followed by 360,000 in June, 367,000 in July, 432,000 in August, 463,000 in September, 476,000 in October, and 588,000 in November.

 

Although the December figure was at the same 500,000 level, its absolute number has declined slightly from the previous month. As for the unemployment rate for youths in their age between 15 and 29, it rose 1.0 percentage point to 8.5 percent from 7.5 percent during the same month a year ago.