South Korea's jobless rate rose to 4.4 percent in April, government data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign of a weak job market amid an economic slowdown in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
The unemployment rate increased 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
It also marked the highest level for any April since 2000, when the corresponding figure stood at 4.5 percent.
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(Yonhap) |
The number of employed people reached 27.03 million in April, an increase of 171,000 from the same month in 2018.
The unemployment rate for young adults -- those aged between 15 and 29 -- rose to 11.5 percent last month from 10.7 percent tallied a year earlier.
By industry, the manufacturing sector -- the backbone of South Korea's economy -- continued to suffer a decline in job offerings by losing 52,000 jobs in April, and the retail and wholesale sector also saw a reduction of 76,000 positions.
In contrast, the health and social welfare sectors added 127,000 jobs, and the education service sector saw an increase of 55,000 jobs last month. (Yonhap)
