It takes college graduates an average 3.5 months to get their first job after graduation, with their average monthly wage at some 1.9 million won.
According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the labor ministry's affiliated agency, graduates of two-year junior and four-year regular colleges in 2006 and 2007 took 3.5 months to secure their first jobs. These are the latest statistics provided by the agency, but fall short of reflecting the current job market, which appears, by many indications, to be tighter because of the global financial crisis.
Those who graduated with engineering degrees spent about three months to get their first job, while those from departments of medicine got their jobs 3.2 months after graduation.
Graduates of engineering departments took home the highest monthly wage at 2 million won, while those with physical education and arts degrees took on the bottom spot at 1.5 million won.
During their first 20 months of employment, graduates changed jobs an average of 1.26 times, less than the 1.40 times in 2005.
"This shows how graduates are tending to stick to their first jobs, primarily due to the tougher job market situation," an agency official said.