The number of young job seekers in South Korea fell by over 150-thousand this year amid a recovery of the country's job market.

According to Statistics Korea on Tuesday, the number of job seekers between the ages of 15 and 29 fell to 704-thousand as of May, down by 154-thousand from the previous year.

The number of people preparing for a public official post saw the biggest drop, falling by 68-thousand on-year, while the number of those looking to get in a general company also declined by 23-thousand.

Statistics Korea explained that the drop comes amid a sharp rise in youth employment despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it also projected that the decline will continue in part due to a scale-down by companies in their public recruitment, resulting in fewer active job seekers as they adjust their expectations.