The number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits stood at 88,000 in November, up 2.7 percent from the same month of last year, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
The number rebounded this year on the back of the mounting worry about the economic slowdown, driven by the sluggish export and the faltering housing market.
The benefit applicants expanded in the construction, manufacturing, and information and communications industries.
The job-seeking benefits are offered by the government to help the unemployed seek jobs, taking up a majority of unemployment benefits. It is financed by the state employment insurance fund.
The number of benefit recipients totaled 529,000 in November, up 3.0 percent from a year earlier. It kept an upward trend for the 10th straight month since February.
The total payment of job-seeking benefits gained 4.2 percent to 830.1 billion won (629.2 million U.S. dollars) in the cited month.
The per-capita payment grew 1.1 percent to 1,568,000 won (1,190 dollars) last month.
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