The total number of paid jobs nationwide in the first quarter of the year posted the largest gain on record.

According to Statistics Korea on Thursday, the number of wage-earning jobs reached nearly 19-point-75 million in the first quarter of the year, up 752-thousand from the year before. The increase is the largest since the government began compiling data in 2018.

The number of jobs increased across all industries, particularly in the accommodation and foodservice industries, which increased eight-percent on-year to total 857-thousand. Paid jobs in those industries declined for six straight quarters during the COVID-19 outbreak before rebounding in the fourth quarter of last year.

Growth was noticeable among those 60 or older, with the number of wage workers in that demographic reaching 378-thousand, up over 14 percent on-year.