600,000 jobs added last year, but many public or welfare

Korea added around 600,000 jobs in 2019 mainly on the back of a rise in job positions in the public sector and social welfare service segment, data showed Thursday.

The country's total jobs reached 24 million in 2019, up 2.6 percent from last year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.

The rise was mainly attributable to an increase in job positions provided by smaller firms and nonprofit companies.

The number of additional jobs at large businesses reached 60,000, while small and medium enterprises and nonprofit businesses added 230,000 and 320,000 job posts on year, respectively.

The government has prioritized creating more jobs as the slowing economy dents the job market. The Moon administration has increased job posts in the public sector in a bid to prop up job growth.

This year, Korea's job market remained bleak due to the fallout of Covid-19, with the country reporting job losses every month since March.

By sector, the health and social welfare service sector added 160,000 jobs on year in 2019, and the wholesale and retail segment added 80,000 job posts. The public administration service sector also saw an increase of 80,000 jobs.

But the manufacturing industry, the backbone of Korea's economy, added just 30,000 jobs last year, while the construction sector shed 70,000 jobs.

Yonhap