The number of people who are not currently studying, doing housework or seeking employment increased by more than 70-thousand in the past year.

Data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Wednesday showed that the number of economically inactive South Koreans had reached 16-point-22 million as of August, nine-thousand more than were counted the previous year. 

Thirty-six-point-nine percent of those respondents said they were without a job to take care of housework, 20-point-two percent reported spending their time studying, and 16-point-three percent said they were resting, with the August tally jumping 73-thousand from the previous year to two-point-64 million.

Among those 15 to 29, 34-point-one percent said it was difficult to find work they wanted, up three-point-three percentage points from the previous year, and another nine-point-nine percent said there was no suitable job.

Twenty-point-four percent of economically inactive respondents said they wished to find work or start a business within a year, down zero-point-three percentage points from a year earlier.