South Korea's top economic policymaker says he expects employment figures from last month to be relatively dismal compared to data from a year earlier.

In a meeting with heads of four major government agencies Thursday, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said despite recent positive signs, including improved consumer sentiment, corporate investment remains in the doldrums and employment conditions continue to be grave.

The minister's remarks come after a relatively large increase in the number of people who found jobs in January 2018, 334-thousand more compared to a year earlier.

Hong then called on the heads of the National Tax Service, Korea Customs Service, Public Procurement Service and Statistics Korea to make proactive all-out efforts to mitigate the effects of economic difficulties and risks.