Unemployment benefit applications hit record high in Q1: govt. data
The number of people newly applying for unemployment benefits reached a record high during the first quarter of this year, government data showed Sunday, amid concerns over a sharp increase in the minimum wage causing employers to lay off workers.
The liberal Moon Jae-in administration raised the minimum wage by 16.4 percent to 7,530 won ($7.02) on Jan. 1 this year, the biggest jump in nearly two decades, while planning to increase the wage to 10,000 by 2020.
As many as 628,000 people got unemployment benefits, worth 1.49 trillion won ($1.39 billion) in total, during the first three months this year, up 6.9 percent, or 40,000 recipients, from a year earlier, the statistics from the state-run Korea Employment Information Service showed.
The number of recipients is the largest since 2010, when the government began compiling such data.
The amount represents a 16.0 percent hike on-year, also the highest amount since 2007 when such data became available.
The number of unemployed has risen steadily to 1,257,000 in March from 1.02 million in January and 1.26 million in February, according to figures from Statistics Korea.
The March figure is the highest since 1999.
The number of temporary and part-time workers was tallied at 6,074,000 during the first three months this year, down 181,000 from the same period last year, Statistics Korea data showed.
During the same time span, the number of those employed in the wholesale, retail, lodging and restaurant industries fell by 98,000.
"We need to look at the restaurant and lodging industries to gauge the effect of the minimum wage hike," Professor Sung Tae-yun of Yonsei University said. "Statistics show the minimum wage hikes did affect contract employment." (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:关于我们)
- Speeding space object triggered a warning. It wasn't an asteroid.
- Korea, China agree to bring exchange, cooperation back onto 'normal' track
- Why #NoConfederate will be the talk of 'Game of Thrones' Twitter tonight
- President Trump appears to encourage police violence during speech
- Which is Faster for Gaming, Windows 10 or Windows 11?
- From Prairie Grasslands to Man
- Facebook's Oversight Board to decide the fate of Trump's account
- 石棉县人民检察院快速启动轻微刑事案件办理机制
- Miami win in Vancouver without resting Barca trio
- iPhone 16 Pro new color will reportedly be Desert Titanium
- 备战春耕投苗,佛山九江镇千亿鱼苗蓄力“游”向全国
- 雅州廊桥封闭道路“解禁”公交8月5日恢复原线路
- Best camping deals June 2024: Save on camping gear at Amazon
-
Webb telescope discovers 6 rogue worlds. They didn't form the way you'd expect.
Sometimes, planets go rogue. Scientists used the powerful James Webb Space Telescope to spot six of ...[详细] -
President Trump appears to encourage police violence during speech
During a speech Friday about cracking down on the MS-13 gang, President Donald Trump pushed it too f ...[详细] -
Who's right about AI: Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk?
Guys, did you hear the news? The robots are going to kill us.At least that appears to be the primary ...[详细] -
Seoul City Bus urges against hot beverages on board
Passengers on Seoul buses will be advised against taking a hot beverage on board via an automated an ...[详细] -
A patient at Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul, on Thursday, walks past a poster, recommending ...[详细]
-
Train possibly belonging to NK leader spotted in resort town [IMAGES]
What is described by Washington-based North Korea monitoring project 38 North as a special train pos ...[详细] -
Unification minister says explosion of liaison office was expected
Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul is surrounded by journalists at National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesd ...[详细] -
7月21日下午3点,荥经县公安局荥河派出所民警在巡查途中发现国道108线荥经县荥河路段发生山体塌方,堆积在国道108线路面上的碎石、泥土约300余方,导致国道交通中断。塌方山体上方飞石不停坠落,民警迅 ...[详细]
-
17 Places That Harness the Power of the Sun
As we begin the journey down the path of totality in 2024, the eclipse offers the perfect opportunit ...[详细] -
North Korea set to raise tensions further with eye on US: experts
In this file photo taken on June 30, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korea's lead ...[详细]
Sports minister says audits into football, badminton federations set to conclude in Sept.
Prosecutors raid homes, offices of former MBC execs over spy agency’s alleged media control
- Eng name ODI, T20I squads for Aus series
- North Korean leader sends verbal message to Xi on China's success on COVID
- Quarantine cooperation with N.K. not subject to sanctions: presidential official
- Murray's French Open career ended by Wawrinka in first round
- We Cannot Live Without Cryptography!
- 'We'll be back for more': Barca women's team celebrate quadruple with fans
- Moon says Korea will neither develop nor possess nuclear arms