Korea adds over 100,000 jobs for 3rd month in Sept.

Korea added 113,000 jobs in September, marking three consecutive months of employment gains over 100,000, according to government data released on Friday. The employment figure stood at 29.26 million, up from 29.15 million a year ago, reported the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The unemployment rate last month was 2%, a drop of 0.1% compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, the employment rate for those aged 15 to 29 was 44%, down 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier. The employment rate for those aged 15 and above was 63.5%, a decline of 0.2 percentage points from the prior year.

The manufacturing sector shed 16,000 jobs, ending a 26-month streak of declines. In contrast, the healthcare and social welfare sector added jobs, though the exact number was not specified in the report. By sector, the construction industry lost 48,000 jobs, and the accommodation and restaurant sector saw a decline of 97,000 jobs. The data ministry attributed the decrease in the latter sector to a base effect resulting from the distribution of government vouchers last year.