Job market

Workers 50 years old and older have taken the majority of new jobs created in the first seven months to July. At the same time, those 30 years old and younger are having a hard time finding new employment *amid the prolonged economic slump. The economy created 690,000 new jobs from January through July, raising the total number of the employed to 23.2 million, according to *the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Sunday.

People in their 60s claimed 348,000 new jobs during the seven-month period, accounting for 50.4 percent of the total jobs created. Those in their 50s who found new positions came to 242,000 over the same period with new workers in their 40s amounting to 77,000. The number of older workers has been on an upward trend over the past few years as more senior citizens are entering the labor market *in line with rising life expectancy, an NSO official said.

Local companies increasingly prefer to hire workers in an irregular and temporary basis *with little job securities and lower wages to meet their manpower demand amid uncertain business outlook. Older workers who already retired from previous jobs are *willing to accept such jobs, raising the number of employed older workers.

But the number of new workers in their 30s declined by 31,000 over the past seven months as many quit current jobs to study for better paying and more secure positions, the NSO said. Those aged 15 to 19 who found new jobs stood at 51,000 as of July with new workers in their 20s at 3,000.

A growing number of younger workers, including college graduates, are increasingly looking for regular jobs amid the economic uncertainty, the official said.