South Korea has posted its first job growth in over a year in another gradual indication of economic recovery. 

Statistics Korea said on Wednesday that the number of jobs in March stood at 26-point-92 million, up by 314-thousand from a year earlier. 

The country had seen an on-year job contraction for the previous 12 months since it lost 195-thousand jobs in March of last year. The latest March figures mark a significant turnaround from February, when there were 473-thousand fewer jobs than a year earlier. 

Jeong Dong-myeong, a senior official of the statistics agency, attributed the reversal to the impact of eased social distancing since mid-February and the base effect from a severe job loss in March last year, among other factors. 

The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 rose by zero-point-three percentage points from a year earlier to 65-point-seven percent. 

The jobless rate edged up zero-point-one percentage point on-year to four-point-three percent.