Women in 20s outperforming men in job market: report

The employment rate for Korean men in their 20s has dropped substantially over the past 15 years while the rate for women in the same age group has risen slightly, a research report said Tuesday.

About three out of four 20-something men, or 73.2 percent, had jobs in 1995, but the figure plummeted to 58.2 percent in 2010, according to a report by the Korea Labor Institute (KLI). By contrast, the female employment rate rose from 55 percent in 1995 to 58.3 percent in 2010, it noted.

The male employment rate took a major dive to 64.8 percent in 1998 and dropped again to 58.4 percent in 2009 as major financial crises rocked the Korean economy during those years. The rate then edged down slightly in 2010, the report said.

The decline in the male employment rate was due mainly to men prolonging their education, the KLI report said. More male students, who are required to serve more than two years in the military, are opting for higher education or a leave of absence from school due to dire job market conditions.

The slight gain in young female employment, meanwhile, reflects an increasing number of women with college or graduate degrees, it noted.

The total employment rate for both genders in their 20s stood at 58.2 percent in 2010, showing a considerable decrease from 63.5 percent in 1995, according to the think tank.

"Employment rates for males in their 20s have been on a long-term downtrend while those for females have shown a long-term uptrend," Sung Jae-min, a KLI researcher, said. (Yonhap)