▲ This file photo, taken Dec. 27, 2021, shows a job information bulletin board at a university in Seoul. (Yonhap)

jobless rate-2021 tally

S. Korea reports largest job growth in 7 years last year amid economic recovery

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported the largest job addition in seven years last year as the job market improved amid the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.

The number of employed people reached 27.27 million last year, 369,000 more than a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

It marked the largest number since 2014, when the nation reported an on-year increase of 598,000 jobs.

The 2021 reading compared with a fall of 220,000 in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic pummeled the country's job market. It was the largest job loss since 1998.

In December last year, the number of employed people came to 27.29 million, 773,000 more than the previous year, the data showed. It marked the largest job addition in nearly eight years and the 10th consecutive month of job growth.

The country's jobless rate fell 0.6 percentage point on-year to 3.5 percent last month.

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