South Korea's jobless rate falls to nine-month low

South Korea's unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in nine
months in September amid signs its economy is recovering fast,
official data showed Wednesday. The rate was 3.4 percent last month,
down from 3.7 percent the previous month, the National Statistical
Office said. The number of employed people surged to 23.8 million in
September, up 71 ,000 from a year earlier, it said. Asia's
fourth-largest economy has rebounded quickly, growing 2.3 percent in
the second quarter from three months earlier thanks to the impact of
stimulus packages. But Tine Olsen, an economist with Moody's
Economy.com, cautioned there could be some signs of weakness in South
Korea's labour market, citing a cut in manufacturing and mining jobs
in August and September. "Lower employment in these industries could
reduce workers' willingness to spend and the demand for services,"
Olsen said in a commentary.