SEOUL, June 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's jobless claims fell for a fourth straight month, government data showed Tuesday.

People walk on a street in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo by Park Jintaek/Xinhua)

The number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits declined 6,000, or 7.2 percent, from a year earlier to 79,000 in May, keeping a downward trend since February, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Benefit applicant numbers fell in construction, manufacturing, public administration, and lodging and eatery industries, but rose in health and social welfare, along with transport and warehousing.

The government offers job-seeking benefits to help the unemployed find work. These benefits account for the majority of unemployment benefits and are financed by the state employment insurance fund.

The number of benefit recipients totaled 630,000 in May, down 6 percent from a year earlier.

The total payment of job-seeking benefits reduced 7 percent to 1.03 trillion won (about 680.9 million U.S. dollars) in the cited month.