'코로나 고용쇼크' 5월 취업자 39.2만명↓…석달 연속 감소<br /><br />Last month, South Korea's jobless rate reached the highest level for the month of May since 1999.<br />The number of working people fell for a third month in a row.<br />Eum Ji-young reports.<br />South Korea saw job losses for the third straight month in May due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.<br />According to data released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of employed people was around 26-point-9 million,… down 392-thousand from the same month a year earlier.<br />"This is the first time the figure has fallen for three months in a row since the October 2009 to January 2010 period in the aftermath of the global financial crisis."<br />The unemployment rate in May recorded 4-point-5 percent,... the highest for the month of May since records began in 1999.<br />The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 decreased 1-point-3 percentage points on-year to 65-point-8 percent in May.<br />People between the ages of 40 to 49 were hit hardest in May,... seeing the employment rate drop by one-point-seven percentage points on-year to 76-point-8 percent.<br />Breaking it down by sector, the wholesale and retail sector saw 189-thousand job losses compared to last year, down 5-point-1 percent.<br />The restaurant and lodging sectors saw 183-thousand job losses,... down 7-point-9 percent on-year.<br />An expert says that although the impact of the pandemic is mostly felt in the service industry right now, the manufacturing sector will also be hit hard further down the road.<br />"As South Korea is part of global supply chains, employment in the manufacturing sector will worsen as international trade contracts amid the ongoing outbreak."<br />Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said at a meeting with government officials on Wednesday that although the job market has been hit hard, the situation has improved when compared to the previous month.<br />"The finance minister also said that the third COVID-19-related supplementary budget should be approved in June in order to help boost the struggling employment situation."<br />Eum Ji-young, Arirang News.<br />
