The South Korean finance minister said Thursday that the government will prioritize on job creation this year as the job market remains tightened despite recent signs of recovery.
"Job creation will be our main focus for this year in our crisis management council meeting," Finance Minister Yoon Jeung- hyun told the meeting.
According to Yoon, the South Korean government played a main role in pulling the economy out of the downturn and in setting up the growth potential by convening 30 meetings to tackle the crisis.
"Job is a key to stabilizing the livelihood of households and revitalizing the nation's economy, (so) we will put every effort to enhance
growth and employment," Yoon said.
Yoon also told the meeting that the economy is still facing downside risks at home and abroad such as rising oil prices despite of a continued
economic recovery, calling it still not satisfactory.
The minister's remarks came as the economy saw a job decrease amounting to 72,000 positions last year, the sharpest contraction in 11 years.