SEOUL (Xinhua) — South Korea’s jobless claims rose last month amid the lingering worry about economic downturn, labor ministry data showed Tuesday.
The number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits stood at 82,000 in September, up 1.2 per cent from the same month of last year, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
The number rebounded this year on the mounting concerns about the economic slowdown, driven by the continued export fall and the faltering housing market. The benefit applicants expanded in the manufacturing, construction, and information and communications industries.
The job-seeking benefits are offered by the government to help the unemployed seek jobs, taking up a majority of unemployment benefits. It is financed by the state employment insurance fund. The number of benefit receivers totaled 590,000 in September, up 3.3 per cent from a year earlier.
It kept an upward trend for the eighth straight month since February. The total payment of job-seeking benefits gained 1.1 per cent to 936.1 billion won (USD694.5 million) in the cited month. The per-capita payment declined 2.1 per cent to 1,587,000 won (USD1,180) last month.
