S. Korea's jobless claims rebound in February

South Korea's jobless claims rebounded in February on solid demand in the construction, business service and manufacturing industries, government data showed Monday.

The number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits soared 25.1 percent from a year ago to 117,000 in February, after sliding in single digits in the previous month, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The benefit applicants increased in the construction, business service, manufacturing and wholesale and retail sectors last month.

Job-seeking benefits are offered by the government to help the unemployed seek jobs, taking up a majority of unemployment benefits. It is financed by the state employment insurance fund.

The number of benefit receivers totaled 669,000 in February, up 6.9 percent from a year earlier.

The total payment of job-seeking benefits gained 11.5 percent to 1.07 trillion won (735.1 million US dollars) in the cited month.