Experience-first hiring leaves more young Koreans in irregular jobs
For Son Ga-hyun, who managed to land a job in textbook development after years of searching, job hunting in Korea had been a slow grind with little to show for it. “Entry-level openings were few and far between, and even internships would be packed with applicants with substantial work experience,” she said. “So even when positions were technically open to candidates with and without experience,…
Son Ga-hyun, who secured a position in textbook development after an extended job search, found the job market in Korea to be an arduous journey with minimal tangible results. "The availability of entry-level openings was scarce, and even internships were flooded with applicants boasting extensive work experience," she lamented.
"Thus, despite the official acceptance of candidates both with and without experience, I perceived little opportunity to compete against those who had already weathered years in the professional sphere." For a span of two years, the 27-year-old relied on part-time teaching gigs to make ends meet. Her predicament mirrors a wider predicament faced by young job seekers in the nation, where roughly half of wage-earning young individuals now find themselves in irregular employment.
As of August 31st, irregular workers comprised 46 percent of wage earners aged 15 to 29 — the highest proportion reported by the Ministry of Data and Statistics since data collection commenced in 2003. This statistic surpassed the 38.5 percent observed among wage earners of all ages. The trend underscores a shifting hiring culture.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
