Korea added 234,000 jobs in February, marking the fastest on-year growth in five months, though a slump in youth employment and the construction sector persisted, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people rose by 0.8 percent from a year earlier to 28.41 million last month, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. After slowing for two consecutive months, job growth rebounded to the 200,000 range in February, following gains of 225,000 in November, 168,000 in December and 108,000 in January. It also marks the largest on-year gain since adding 312,000 jobs in September 2024. Despite the overall rise, the data underscored a prolonged downturn in the manufacturing and construction sectors. Youth employment declined for the 22nd consecutive month in February, highlighting ongoing challenges for young job seekers. By age, the number of employed people aged 15 to 29 fell by 146,000 in February, the ministry said. The unemployment rate for the age group came to 7.7 percent, the highest level for any February since 2021, when it stood at 10.1 percent. In contrast, e