Seoul: South Korea added 234,000 jobs in February, marking the fastest on-year growth in five months, though a slump in youth employment and the construction sector persisted, data showed Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the number of employed people rose by 0.8 percent from a year earlier to 28.41 million last month, based on data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. This represents the largest on-year gain since the addition of 312,000 jobs in September 2024.

Despite the overall rise in employment figures, the data highlighted an ongoing downturn in the manufacturing and construction sectors. Additionally, youth employment saw a decline for the 22nd consecutive month in February, underscoring persistent challenges faced by young job seekers in the labor market.