The number of people preparing for employment in South Korea increased to an all-time high last month with the worsened job condition amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the analysis of state job data by Yonhap News on Sunday, those who study or train to acquire jobs in government agencies and large companies came to 853-thousand in February, up ten-point-eight percent from a year earlier.

That amounts to the largest since the nation started compiling related data in 2003.

People in their 20s and 30s took up the largest portion at 760-thousand, accounting for 89 percent of the total.

People who study at private institutes for state-administered tests or at vocational training centers to prepare for employment are currently classified as part of the economically inactive population.