(2nd LD) S. Korea adds 108,000 new jobs in July; manufacturing employment remains weak

South Korea's employment situation improved slightly in July, with the country adding 108,000 new jobs compared to the previous year, according to government data. This marks the second month in a row where job growth has been positive. The total number of employed people reached 29.13 million, up from 29.02 million a year earlier.

The Ministry of Data and Statistics reported that the jobless rate rose to 2.6 percent in July, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from a year prior. Unemployed individuals totaled 776,000, up 50,000 from the previous year.

However, manufacturing employment remained weak during this period. The employment rate for the overall population aged 15 to 64 declined to 70.3 percent, a slight drop of 0.1 percentage point from the previous period. The employment rate for individuals aged 15 to 29 experienced a more significant decline, falling by 1.6 percentage points to 44.2 percent, marking the 27th consecutive month of decline for this age group.

Despite the overall increase in employment, South Korea's employment rate dipped by 0.1 percentage point to 63.3 percent, marking four consecutive months of decline.