SEOUL: South Korea's jobless claims rebounded in October after three consecutive months of decline, driven by increased demand in the construction, wholesale and retail, and manufacturing sectors, as revealed by government data. According to Namibia Press Agency, the number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits climbed to 89,000 in October, marking a 12.4 percent increase compared to the same month in the previous year. This uptick follows declines of 0.6 percent in August and 1.0 percent in September, amid ongoing concerns about an economic downturn. The rise in benefit applicants was observed across the construction, wholesale and retail, manufacturing, and information and communication industries. However, there was a decrease in the public administration and education service sectors during the same period. Job-seeking benefits, which form the majority of unemployment benefits, are provided by the government to assist the unemployed in their job search. These benefits are funded by the state emplo yment insurance fund. In October, the total number of benefit receivers reached 587,000, reflecting a 3.7 percent increase from the previous year. Additionally, the total payment of job-seeking benefits rose by 9.9 percent, amounting to 1 trillion won (approximately 715.6 million U.S. dollars) for the month.