The number of employees working in retail, wholesale, restaurants and lodging has dropped drastically over the past eight months, data from the Korea Small Business Institute showed Thursday. These are industries with large proportions of self-owned businesses.

The plunge in hiring in these sectors was most significant as COVID-19 infections increased between March and May. The monsoon season and consecutive typhoons have also affected the businesses, the institute said.
 
(khnews@heraldcorp.com)