S. Korea's real wage rebounds in March

SEOUL, May 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's real wage, adjusted for inflation, rebounded in March, labor ministry data showed Thursday.

The per-capita nominal monthly average wage in businesses with one or more regular employees gained 3.1 percent over the year to 4,136,000 won (2,990 U.S. dollars) in March after falling 5.4 percent in the previous month, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The real monthly wage grew 1.1 percent in March on a yearly basis, turning around from a decrease of 7.3 percent in February.

The consumer price inflation hovered around the central bank's inflation target of 2 percent in recent months, with 2.2 percent in January, 2.0 percent in February and 2.1 percent in March.

The monthly average working hours per employee in the businesses declined 0.4 percent to 153.3 hours in March compared to the same month of last year.

The manufacturing industry recorded the longest monthly working hours of 168.3, trailed by the water, sewage and waste disposal industry with 167.2 hours.

The construction industry logged the shortest working hours of 129.8 in the cited month. Enditem