Korea adds 411,000 jobs on-year in January, lowest in nearly 2 years

A cashier works at a convenience store in Seoul on Jan. 15. [YONHAP]

Korea added the lowest number of additional jobs in nearly two years in January, with the growth slowing for the eighth consecutive month amid economic uncertainties and higher borrowing costs, data showed Wednesday.

The number of employed people stood at 27.36 million last month, up some 411,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest on-year growth since the 314,000 on-year gain tallied in March 2021.

Despite posting growth for the 23rd consecutive month, Korea's on-year gains in additional jobs have been falling since reaching 935,000 in May 2022.

The January figure marked a decrease from 509,000 jobs added in December.

Korea's jobless rate moved down 0.5 percentage point on-year to 3.6 percent in January, the data showed.

The unemployment rate for those aged between 15 and 29 moved down 0.1 percentage point on-year to 5.9 percent.

The overall growth was primarily led by those aged 60 and older, with 400,000 jobs being added in the age group.

People in their 50s and 30s took up 107,000 and 27,000 of the new jobs, respectively, the data showed.

The number of jobs for those in their 40s and 20s, on the other hand, moved down 63,000 and 43,000, respectively, over the period.

Last month, new jobs were mainly created in the welfare, accommodation, restaurant and communication industries, the data showed.

Jobs from the retail, wholesale, transportation and agricultural sectors, on the other hand, lost ground.

The latest performance came amid the country's aggressive monetary tightening move aimed at taming inflation. A hike in borrowing costs typically weighs down employment as businesses and households cut their spending.

Last month, the Bank of Korea raised the benchmark seven-day repo rate from 3.25 percent to 3.5 percent, the highest level since 2008. It was the seventh straight rate increase since April last year, the longest span of tightening.

In 2022, Korea added 816,000 jobs on-year, driven by the post-pandemic recovery. The finance ministry said it expects job growth to reach only 100,000 in 2023 due to the slowing economy and the declining population.

Yonhap