The nation added nearly 470-thousand jobs in March as growth expanded at a faster pace than in the previous month.

According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of employed people stood at 28 million-223-thousand last month, marking an increase of 469-thousand from a year earlier.

The number of new jobs for the month is higher than the 312-thousand jobs added in February, bucking a downward trend that lasted for nine consecutive months.

The number of employed people below 60, however, fell by 78-thousand. 

The employment rate for those aged 15 and older rose by zero-point-eight percentage points on-year to reach 62-point-two percent in March, the largest for the month since the nation started compiling related data in July 1982.

The jobless rate dropped by zero-point-one percentage point on-year to two-point-nine percent last month, the lowest for any March since June 1999.