The number of stay-at-home moms in South Korea dropped for the 11th straight month in May, as more women came out in search of work to support their families, data showed Wednesday.

According to the data by Statistics Korea, the number of women staying at home to care for household chores and child-rearing came to 7.08 million in May, down 2.6 percent, or 191,000, from the same month a year earlier.

This represented the 11th straight month since July that the figure has dropped.

The decline is attributable to more women coming out to work and support their families amid signs that the economy is recovering from a prolonged slump.

More flexible working systems, including hourly jobs, are also cited as a reason behind the steady fall in the number of stay-at-home moms.

The government has been encouraging companies to adopt a working system in which people can choose their working hours, a move especially aimed at helping women who have to juggle between child care and work.

The data showed that the number of hourly workers totaled 1.91 million in March, which was up 9.1 percent, or 159,000, from a year earlier. (Yonhap)