The amount of unemployment benefits to be doled out this year is estimated to rise by about 50 percent from last year due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak. 

In a media briefing on Monday, Kwon Ki-sup, who handles employment-related policies at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said the government expects the annual job-seekers’ allowance to amount to around 12-point-five trillion won or more. 

The allowance hit a record high last year at just under eight-point-one trillion won. Initially, the government predicted it would rise to some nine trillion won this year. 

Kwon said the increase, mostly a result of the pandemic, needs to be factored into a third supplementary budget plan the government is currently drafting.

Meanwhile, the ministry said a record 993-point-three billion won was paid in unemployment benefits in April, up by 34-point-six percent from the same month last year.