South Korea's job growth picked up slightly in November compared to a month earlier but the manufacturing sector alone shed nearly 100,000 positions, data showed Wednesday, signaling potential challenges for the country's export-dependent economy.

The number of employed people aged 15 years and older came to 28.82 million as of the end of last month, up 123,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Despite a slight improvement compared to the previous month's 83,000 newly-added jobs, employment in the manufacturing sector suffered its steepest decline in 18 months in November, losing 95,000 jobs.

"The manufacturing sector serves as a key indicator, reflecting trends in domestic demand and exports," said Suh Woon-ju, an official at Statistics Korea, noting that manufacturing jobs have been declining for five consecutive months.

Other major sectors, such as wholesale and retail, as well as construction, also faced challenges.

Employment in the construction sector dropped by 96,000 from the same month last year, marking a continuous decline for seven consecutive months.

Jobs in wholesale and retail fell by 89,000, extending their downward spiral for the ninth straight month, as they struggled with weak domestic demand.

Employment in the business facilities management and rental services sector fell by 86,000, the largest decline since December 2018, when the figure dropped by 89,000.

"The decrease appears to have been driven by worsening conditions in the construction industry and reductions in apartment security staff," Suh said.

In contrast, new hiring in the public health and social welfare field gained 113,000 on-year last month, and jobs in the science and technology service sector went up by 71,000.

November's modest job growth was primarily driven by hiring among older adults.

Employment for those aged 60 and older rose by 298,000 on-year. Jobs for people in their 30s and 50s increased by 89,000 and 7,000, respectively.

However, employment for younger age groups saw sharp declines.

Jobs for those in their 20s fell by 170,000, while employment among those in their 40s decreased by 91,000 on-year. Statistics Korea noted that the overall population in these age groups has also been shrinking. (Yonhap)