S. Korea's real wage rises for 5th month in August

SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's real wage, adjusted for inflation, rose for the fifth successive month owing to slower inflation, labor ministry data showed Thursday.

The per-capita nominal monthly average wage in businesses with one or more regular employees gained 3.4 percent over the year to 3,870,000 won (2,810 U.S. dollars) in August, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The real monthly wage grew 1.4 percent in August on a yearly basis, continuing to increase since April.

Consumer prices added 2.0 percent in August from a year earlier, lower than an increase of 2.6 percent in the prior month.

The monthly average working hours per employee in the businesses shrank 3.4 percent from a year earlier to 155.7 hours in August.

The mining industry recorded the longest monthly working hours at 171.0, followed by the water, sewage, and waste disposal industry at 170.8 hours.

The construction industry logged the shortest working hours of 129.4 in the cited month. ■