The number of regular Employment Insurance enrollees nearly increased by 270,000 last month. Since January this year, the number of regular Employment Insurance enrollees has risen by more than 200,000 every month.
According to the "May labor market trends based on employment administration statistics" released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on the 9th, the number of regular Employment Insurance enrollees stood at 15,848,000 as of the end of last month. That was up 268,000 from May last year (15,580,000). The monthly increase in regular Employment Insurance enrollees has steadily stayed in the high-200,000 range: 262,000 in January, 259,000 in February, 270,000 in March, and 271,000 in April.
Services led the gains, adding 284,000 people. In particular, health and welfare posted the largest increase among services, up 114,000. Most segments within services saw increases in regular Employment Insurance enrollees, including accommodation and food (55,000), business services (24,000), and education services (22,000).
In contrast, manufacturing fell by 10,000, marking a decline for the 12th straight month. The number of regular Employment Insurance enrollees decreased in fabricated metal products (-4,000), textiles (-3,200), and rubber and plastics (-2,600). Construction also dropped by 8,000, logging a decline for the 34th consecutive month. However, considering that 12,000 fell in January this year, the pace of decrease has eased.
By age group, those 60 and older (207,000), people in their 30s (84,000), and those in their 50s (46,000) increased. In contrast, those 29 and younger (-65,000) and those in their 40s (-5,000) decreased.