April 25, 2024

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The number of employed people reached 26.8 million in March, an increase of 250,000 from the same month in 2018, according to the latest findings.

The unemployment rate for young adults -- those aged between 15 and 29 -- also fell to 10.8 percent last month from 11.6 percent tallied a year earlier.

The employment rate, referring to the proportion of employed working-age adults, reached 60.4 percent in March, marking the highest figure for any March since the statistics agency started to compile such data in 1983.

Nearly all age groups saw their employment rate rise last month, with the rate for teens and twentysomethings gaining 0.9 percentage point and the rate for people over 60 increasing 1.2 percentage points.

But the employment rate for those in their 40s retreated 0.6 percentage point to 78 percent, extending their losing streak to 14 straight months since February 2018.

By industry, the health and social welfare sector added 172,000 jobs, and the science and technology service sector saw an increase of 83,000 workers last month. The farming industry hired 79,000 people last month.

In contrast, the manufacturing sector, the backbone industry of Asia‘s fourth-largest economy, lost 108,000 jobs in March compared with the same month in 2018, while financial firms decreased employment by 37,000.

By Ram Garikipati and newswires (ram@heraldcorp.com)