The number of people working less than 18 hours a week in South Korea exceeded 1 million for the first time last year, data showed Wednesday, indicating that employment conditions remained tough for many despite an economic recovery.

   According to the data provided by Statistics Korea, people working for 1-17 hours a week totaled 1.056 million at the end of last year, up 9.7 percent from a year earlier.

   Such short-time workers have increased over the past decade, with the figure standing at 81,000 in 1980 but surging to 214,000 in 1989 and to 572,000 in 1999.

 The recent financial crisis particularly raised the number, with workers in the category jumping around 24 percent since 2008.

 They accounted for 4.4 percent of the total workforce last year, according to the data.

   Experts said that the increase was attributable in part to toughened employment conditions. Participation by more senior and married women in economic activity on a short-time work basis also played a role, they added.

   Last year, the nation's jobless rate was 3.7 percent, up from the previous year's 3.6 percent, with a total of 323,000 new jobs added to payrolls.