S. Korea's employment rate lower than OECD average

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's employment rate stood below the average
for countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development last
year, a report showed Monday, indicating strained labor conditions here.
The rate, which measures the percentage of employed people aged between 15 and 64
to the entire working-age population, came to 63.8 percent in 2008, compared with
the OECD average of 66.5 percent, according to the report by the Statistics
Korea.
The report showed that employment conditions were harsher for younger people than
for those in other age groups.
The employment rate for people aged between 15 and 29 stood at 41.3 percent
compared with Canada and the Unite States, where the rate stood at 59.6 percent
and 51.2 percent, respectively, according to the report.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)