Younger Koreans face tighter job market: data

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- Younger people in South Korea face tougher recruitment
conditions than those in other age groups amid a protracted economic slowdown,
data showed Friday.

According to the data by the National Statistical Office, the number of employed
people aged between 15 and 29 totaled 4.09 million at the end of July, down
112,000 from the same month a year ago.
This marked the 56th consecutive month of job losses since December 2004 when the
number employed in the age group stood at 4.53 million. The decline was also
sharper than the job loss of 76,000 for those aged between 15 and 64.
Experts attributed the job reduction to an economic downturn which holds back
companies from employing workers. The overall contraction in population of
younger people also contributed to the decrease in employment.
Job creation is one of the government's top priorities as it looks to boost
domestic demand at a time when the global economic downturn is denting overseas
shipments.
In May, the government announced that it will provide around 250,000 temporary
jobs in the public sector in a bid to unfreeze the tightened labor market.
South Korea's jobless rate dropped to 3.7 percent last month from 3.9 percent the
previous month. The July figure is the lowest level in six months.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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