Manufacturing jobs up, but numbers may defy reality
By Kang Seung-woo The number of jobs in the manufacturing industry reached a seven-year high last month on the back of strong exports, the national statistical office said Tuesday. It was the 14th consecutive month that the job total managed an annual increase, the longest streak since the 22-month run that ended in February 2001, when the country was recovering from the Asian financial crisis. The 4.14 million people hired by local manufacturers last month represented a 6.7 percent annual increase. The total was the highest since the same month of 2004 when 4.16 million were employed in the sector. The number of new jobs created every month has exceeded 20,000 for the eighth consecutive month, according to the government figures. “There has been a steady gain in people working in the manufacturing businesses. Following the recent global financial crisis, exports have done well in comparison to the service sector and this raised demand for new workers,” the statistical office said. The facility operation rate of manufacturers were measured at 84.8 percent in January, t