ICT employment up for 15th month straight

Employment in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector increased in March for the 15th consecutive month, the Ministry of Science and ICT reported Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement that the total number of those employed in the category grew 55,000, or 6.8 percent, from the same month last year to a total of 865,000.

Although the ICT sector only accounts for 3.2 percent of Korea’s 26.8-million person strong labor force, the segment accounted for 21.9 percent of the total growth of 251,000 jobs in March year on year.

Even though jobs for workers aged between 30 and 49 decreased 2 percent in the general economy, positions for people in that age group in the ICT sector grew 4.6 percent, or 24,000, to 547,000.

The number of women in the segment grew 15.4 percent from a year earlier, while the number of men employed in the segment grew 3.6 percent year on year.

“Continuing growth of the ICT sector is reflected in the number of new jobs being created in the segment,” a ministry spokesperson said.

New 5G opportunities may help the segment sustain its positive job growth, she added.

Korea was the first country in the world to commercialize a 5G network for mobile phones, flipping the switch on April 3.

The ministry will release detailed analysis on the growth rate and provide forecasts on the future of the sector by conducting in-depth interviews at the end of the year.

BY KO JUN-TAE [ko.juntae@joongang.co.kr]