This file photo, taken Jan. 13, 2021, shows people looking at job opening information at an employment arrangement center in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of employees at local businesses grew on-year by 2.1 percent in April on the back of an economic recovery, the labor ministry said Monday.
As of the last business day of April, there were 18.6 million people employed by companies, up 379,000 from the same month last year, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said in a monthly report.
The increase is the largest in 21 months, after 396,000 in July 2019.
The coronavirus pandemic caused negative growth in employee numbers starting in March last year. This March saw the first positive growth since the pandemic began.
The latest increase has been attributed to the recovery of some businesses following eased social distancing rules and the base effect from a sudden drop in employee numbers in April 2020.
Many of the new jobs were among temporary workers, up 234,000, or 14 percent, on-year. Among full-time workers, the increase was 109,000, or 0.7 percent.
By industry type, health and social welfare services saw a large increase at 131,000, followed by education services at 85,000, science and technology at 53,000 and information and communications at 51,000.
The restaurant and hotel industry posted a decline for the 15th consecutive month, with 31,000 fewer workers.
(Yonhap)
