SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's economy kept a recovery trend driven by export and private consumption, a government report said Friday.

"Our economy recently maintained a recovery trend centered on export and consumption," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in its monthly economic assessment report called Green Book.

The report, however, noted that external uncertainties escalated due to the correction of investment and the trade conflict among major economies.

The assessment came amid rising worry about the economy's growth momentum. The number of those employed rose 3,000 in August from a year earlier, marking the first time since the global financial crisis that the employment growth stayed below 100,000 for the seventh straight month.

The number of those unemployed topped 1 million for the first eight months of this year.

Exports, which account for about half of the export-driven economy, gained 8.7 percent over the year to 51.2 billion U.S. dollars, posting the biggest August figure.

Private consumption grew 0.5 percent in July from the previous month on demand for semi-durable goods such as clothing and non-durable goods, including cosmetic products.

Automobile sales in the domestic market increased 6.8 percent in August from a year earlier on a temporary cut in consumption tax.

Facility investment, however, kept a downward trend for five months to July. Investment in the construction industry shed 0.1 percent in the month.?