Jobless rate rises sharply among those in 20s to 40s

The jobless rate among those in their 20s to 40s has sharply increased due to a slump in the construction market and a loss of jobs in the agriculture and fisheries sector. Consequently, the unemployment rate, which had showed signs of stabilizing, rose again in November.

According to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) Thursday, the number of jobless people stood at 797,000 in November, up 37,000 from the month prior, and the unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points from the previous month to reach 3.6 percent.

The seasonally-adjusted rate also rose to 4.1 percent last month from 3.9 percent in October.

By age, the jobless rate among those in their 20s increased 0.5 percentage points from the previous month to stand at 6.4 percent in November while the rate among those in their 30s rose from 3.0 percent to 3.2 percent month-on-month.

Among those in their 20s, the number of employed people declined by as many as 11,000 in the wholesale, retail, food and lodging sectors, and by 9,000 in the business and public service industries. Workers in their 30s lost 19,000 and 17,000 jobs in construction, and the agriculture and fisheries industries, respectively, last month.

The NSO said that the number of employed people came to 21.36 million last month, down 207,000 from October. By industry, the agriculture and fisheries workforce shrank by 247,000 and construction workers by 32,000.

Choi Young-Hae moneychoi@donga.com