Korea maintained year-on-year employment growth at the 100,000 level for the second consecutive year in 2025, as job losses continued in the manufacturing and construction sectors and youth employment remained sluggish, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people increased 193,000, or 0.7 percent, from a year earlier to 28.77 million last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Job creation had been more robust in the immediate post-pandemic period, with 816,000 new positions added in 2022, marking the largest year-on-year increase in 22 years. However, the pace slowed to 327,000 in 2023 and weakened further in 2024, when only 159,000 jobs were added. By sector, the construction industry shed 125,000 jobs in 2025 amid a prolonged downturn, marking the largest decline since the revision of industrial classifications in 2013. The manufacturing sector, considered the backbone of the economy, lost 73,000 jobs, its largest year-on-year decline since 2019, when 81,000 positions were cut. The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector shed 107,000 jobs. In co