Moon vows more efforts to create jobs in his Labor Day message

President Moon Jae-in said Saturday his government will step up efforts to create more employment opportunities, which were severely dented by the COVID-19 pandemic, in his message to mark Labor Day. Yonhap

President Moon Jae-in said Saturday his government will step up efforts to create more employment opportunities, which were severely dented by the COVID-19 pandemic, in his message to mark Labor Day.

Moon also reaffirmed the government's unwavering commitment to building a society that abides by labor standards and guarantees workers' rights.

"The government is doing its best to bolster job recovery and strengthen the employment safety net on the belief that maintaining jobs is the first step toward recovery. But there are still many people coping with difficulties," Moon wrote on Facebook.

"The government will diligently continue to promulgate policies to create more jobs and prevent workers from suffering from a delay in receiving pay, and bullying at work," he said.

South Korea reported the first job additions in March after witnessing losses for the 12th straight month in February amid the fallout of the pandemic.

Last year, the number of employed people reached 26.9 million, 218,000 fewer than the previous year, and the largest year-on-year job losses since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.

"The pandemic cannot be a reason for the country to delay labor reforms. Reducing working hours is a process of sharing jobs and raising the quality of life," Moon said. (Yonhap)