By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter
The number of new jobs last month stayed below the government's target of 200,000 for the fifth consecutive month, as businesses continued their reluctance to hire.
According to the National Statistical Office Wednesday, the country had 23.9 million people employed last month, up 153,000 from the same month a year earlier and slightly up from a 147,000 increase in June this year.
Early last month, the government cut its job growth target for the rest of the year to 200,000 from 350,000, citing sluggish domestic demand and corporate investment.
``The number of new jobs slightly increased last month from June but it is too early to say if the job market will continue to improve in the coming months because the overall economic outlook remains dismal,'' said Kim Hyun-ae, director of the statistical office's employment statistical division.
She said stagnant private consumption continued to hit the service sector hard, dragging down job creation. ``Also, the sluggish housing market has put new building projects on hold. Many exporters are worried over a drop in overseas shipments because of the global economic slowdown,'' she said.
By industry, the number of construction workers declined 26,000 in July from a year ago, while those in agriculture and fisheries dropped 43,000. The number of workers in retail and wholesale fell 44,000 and that of manufacturing 29,000.
The public and private service sectors, however, added a combined 297,000 new workers to their payrolls.
The number of employed in their 20s fell 118,000 and that of those in their 30s dropped 29,000 from a year ago, but the number of workers in their 40s rose 116,000 and those in their 50s 182,000.
The number of regular workers rose 381,000 to nine million from the previous year, but that of non-regular and temporary employees dropped 144,000 to 7.3 million, as companies slashed non-essential workers amid deteriorating business conditions.
The jobless rate stayed at 3.1 percent, while the unemployment rate among people aged 15-29 fell to 7.4 percent from 7.8 percent in June.
The economically inactive population, or people aged 15 or over who are neither working nor looking for jobs because of housekeeping, childcare, old age, study, health problems or other reasons, was 14.94 million last month, up 289,000 from a year earlier.