SEOUL: South Korea added only 83,000 jobs in October, marking the slowest job growth in four months, as revealed by recent data. This slowdown is attributed primarily to declines in the wholesale, retail, and construction sectors. According to Yonhap News Agency, the data compiled by Statistics Korea indicated that the total number of employed individuals aged 15 and older reached 28.85 million by the end of October, reflecting an increase of 83,000 from the previous year. In contrast, earlier months saw job additions exceeding 100,000, with July recording an increase of 172,000, followed by 123,000 in August and 144,000 in September. October's gain is the smallest since May, which saw a rise of 80,000 jobs. The wholesale and retail sectors experienced a significant drop, losing 148,000 jobs compared to the previous year, marking the eighth consecutive month of decline. This monthly decrease is the largest since July 2021. The construction sector also saw a decline, with 93,000 fewer jobs, continuing a six- month streak of losses. Suh Woon-ju, a Statistics Korea official, noted that the decrease in retail jobs seems to have extended to wholesale sectors. A finance ministry official highlighted that half of the jobs in these sectors are held by self-employed individuals, with structural factors like excessive competition and a shift towards online services contributing to the decline. On a positive note, the public health and social welfare sectors saw an increase of 97,000 jobs, while the science and technology service sector added 77,000 positions. Job growth was also notable among older adults, with positions for those aged 60 and older rising by 257,000. Despite these gains, employment for individuals in their 20s decreased by 175,000, and those in their 40s saw a decline of 72,000 jobs. The employment rate among people aged 15 and older held steady at 63.3 percent, the highest for any October since 1982. The OECD-method hiring rate for those aged 15-64 rose slightly to 69.8 percent, marking another Octob er record. However, the number of unemployed individuals increased to 678,000, raising the jobless rate by 0.2 percentage points to 2.3 percent. The economically inactive population grew by 21,000 to 16.08 million. The "take-a-rest" group, which includes those who were unemployed and indicated they were resting during the survey period, reached 2.45 million, the highest for any October. First Vice Finance Minister Kim Beom-seok attributed the slowdown to temporary factors like last year's employment growth base effect and increased rainy days during the survey. He expressed optimism for job growth in November and December due to improved conditions for private consumption and the base effect.