Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun urged the Cabinet to exert all-out efforts toward protecting the job market, which is the basis for people's livelihoods and the economy.

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Chung said overcoming the economic crisis from the novel coronavirus pandemic is as urgent as quarantine, stressing that the situation regarding the country's job market is grave.

Chung said the number of those who found jobs last month dropped 200-thousand compared to a year earlier, the biggest decline since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The prime minister ordered officials to check to make sure state financial and monetary aid for employment stability are being appropriately enforced and to introduce supplementary steps when necessary.

Chung also called for additional measures to maintain jobs, to assist those who have been laid off, to create new jobs and to support employers.