Statistics Korea on Jan. 11 said in a report on employment trends in 2022 and last month that the economy added 816,000 jobs last year. (Statistics Korea)

By Cao Thi Ha

The economy last year added 816,000 jobs, the most in 22 years since 882,000 in 2000.

Statistics Korea on Jan. 11 said in a report on employment trends in 2022 and last month that the number of employed last year was 28,089,000, up 816,000 or 3% from 2021.

By sector, health and social welfare services added 180,000 jobs in seeing employment growth of 7.1%, manufacturing 135,000 (3.1%), and accommodations and restaurants 84,000 (4%).

But other industries saw reductions in hiring like retail and wholesale (1.2%), finance and insurance (3.3%), and associations, organizations, repair and individual services (1.4%).

The average annual number of employed fell by 218,000 in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, but rose by 369,000 a year later.

The employment rate for people ages 15 or over was 62.1%, slightly up from 60.5% in 2021 and the highest since the statistic was first compiled in 1963.

The employment rate for those ages 15-64, a standard used for comparison by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was 68.5%, two percentage points higher than the year before.

The number of jobless last year fell 205,000 to 833,000 and the unemployment rate for all ages dropped eight-tenths of a percentage point to 2.9%.

shinn11@korea.kr