The number of employed people in minor cities and counties in South Korea rose in April from a year earlier as slumps in the job market eased amid the economic recovery, data showed Tuesday.

The number of employed people for 77 smaller cities in nine provinces reached 13.1 million as of end-April, up 3.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

The corresponding number for 77 counties across the nation grew 1.4 percent on-year to 2.07 million, the data showed.

The unemployment rate for minor cities came to 3.5 percent, down 0.1 percentage points from a year earlier, while that for counties stayed flat at 1.5 percent.

The data that excludes Seoul and seven other major cities showed that the country's job market has improved following deep slumps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country reported job additions for the fifth straight month in July amid the economic recovery and last year's low base.

The number of employed people reached 27.65 million last month, 542,000 more than a year earlier, according to separate data by the statistics agency.

But the pace of job growth slowed in July from the previous month as employment in face-to-face service segments was hit hard by the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki earlier said the impact of the toughest-ever virus curbs will be felt on jobs data from August. (Yonhap)