The number of temporary employees in South Korea fell to 3.86 million in January 2020, down 12.7% when compared to the same period last year, according to data published by Statistics Korea.

The 12.7% decrease worsened when compared to December’s 7.5% decrease.

When compared to the previous month, the number of temporary employees in South Korea decreased by 11.3% in January 2020.

Statistics Korea also published labour market figures for January 2021. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7%, up 1.6% year-on-year. When compared to December, the rate was also up 1.6%.

The number of unemployed persons totalled 1.57 million people in January 2021, which increased by 417,000 persons or 36.2% year-on-year.

At the same time, the number of employed persons totaled 25.81 million persons in January 2021, which went down 982,000 persons or 3.7% year-on-year.

The labour force participation rate stood at 60.9% in January, down 1.7% year-on-year.

The economically active population stood at 27.38 million in January, which decreased by 564,000 persons or 2.0% year-on-year.

Among sectors, the wholesale & retail trade, accommodation & food saw the biggest employment decline at 9.9% when compared to the previous year. The electricity, transport, communication & finance sector saw the biggest gain at 0.9% year-on-year.