The number of labor dispute lawsuits filed across the country in 2000 topped the 2,000 mark for the first time, the Supreme Court revealed in a recent report.
Last year's total of 2,063 cases marks a 3.2-fold increase over a period of 10 years.
Disputes over layoffs and unpaid wages rose markedly in 2000, reportedly mirroring the prolonged slump in the economy.
Some 410 lawsuits were filed last year in an effort to determine the validity of labor contracts, while 1,311 cases involving demands for the payment of wages and retirement benefits were also filed.
The Supreme Court said that 96 percent of the labor dispute lawsuits filed last year originated with the labor side.
The court said 2,092 labor dispute lawsuits were settled at the district court level in 2000, while around 80 percent of the settlements favored the labor side.
According to the Supreme Court, the number of cases filed -- which stood at 647 in 1990 -- started rising sharply from 1993, the year in which the slump in the economy began to affect the labor market seriously.