SEOUL, June 9 (Xinhua) — South Korea’s jobless claims fell in four months due to weaker demand in health and welfare, public administration, and lodging and eatery industries, government data showed Monday.
The number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits retreated 3.1 percent from a year earlier to 85,000 in May, after going up for the past three months, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
Benefit applicants diminished in public administration, health and welfare, and lodging and eatery sectors, but the reading gained in manufacturing, construction, and transport and warehousing segments.
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 benefit receivers totaled 670,000 in May, up 3.7 percent from a year earlier.
The total payment of job-seeking benefits climbed 3.0 percent to 1.11 trillion won (818.1 million U.S. dollars) in the cited month.
