S. Korea's jobless rate held at 3 pct in October

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's jobless rate remained unchanged in
October but job creation slumped to a 44-month low as companies remained
reluctant to hire workers amid bleak economic outlooks, a government report
showed Wednesday.
The unemployment rate was 3 percent last month, unchanged from a month ago,
according to the report by the National Statistical Office. The figure is
slightly lower than a median forecast of 3.1 percent in a poll conducted by
Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.
The economy generated 97,000 new jobs in October compared with a year earlier,
decelerating from 112,000 created in September. Job growth was at the lowest
level since February 2005 when 80,000 new jobs were created, according to the
office.
The office attributed the slumping job market to the overall deteriorating
economic conditions at home and abroad.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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