S. Korea's jobless claims rise 2.1 pct in May

 

June 13

South Korea's jobless claims rose last month amid growing worries about an economic slump, labor ministry data showed Monday.

The number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits was 86,000 in May, up 2.1 percent from the same month of last year, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The benefit applicants increased in the construction, the information and communications, the lodging and eatery, and the manufacturing industries.

The job-seeking benefits are offered by the government to help the unemployed seek jobs, taking up a majority of unemployment benefits. It is financed by the state employment insurance fund.

The number of the benefit receivers totaled 657,000 in May, up 3.3 percent from a year earlier. It kept an upward trend for the fourth straight month.

xinhua