South Korea jobless rate unchanged at 3.2%

South Korea's jobless rate was unchanged at 3.2 percent in July, Statistics Korea said Wednesday, after new employment openings in education and social services offset losses in the manufacturing sector. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate has remained constant at 3.2 percent for three months in a row. Unadjusted, the figure stood at 3.1 percent. Health and social services added 16,000 jobs from the previous month and the education sector added 26,000 jobs. The manufacturing sector shed 13,000 jobs, while 16,000 construction jobs were also lost. The jobs data came days after the South's central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged for the third straight month amid signs of recovery in the Asia's fourth-largest economy. Seoul in June raised its growth outlook for this year from 2.3 percent to 2.7 percent, citing the impact of stimulus measures taken earlier this year.