The number of workers who voluntarily left jobs for new opportunities decreased in the first half amid the economic slowdown, while those who were laid off were on a steady rise, industry data showed Wednesday.

The number of Koreans who remain unemployed after leaving their previous jobs three months earlier fell 221,200 in the January-June period from a year ago, according to the Korea Labor Institute. 


The labor institute attributed the drop in employees changing workplaces to the tight job market as Asia's fourth-largest economy remains in doldrums in the wake of weak exports and domestic consumption.

The number of those who quit due to personal matters has also shrunk, except for February, as more wanted to continue working, excluding unavoidable situations.

In contrast, the number of people fired or laid off has steadily risen over the period as more companies carried out restructuring in the face of worsening profitability.

Those who changed jobs after being laid off has risen by 21,000 in March, 11,000 in April, 14,000 in May and 3,000 in June compared with a year earlier, the institute said.

"It is rare that the number of people who involuntarily changed jobs due to early retirement or layoff has increased for four consecutive months," Jung Sung-mi, a senior KLI researcher, said.

"The trend could continue for a while when companies carry out massive restructuring later this year." (Yonhap)