Over 250,000 college graduates work at menial labor
Some college graduates work for low-paying, simple laboring jobs. Yonhap
By Jung Hae-myoung
More than 250,000 college-educated people make a living from simple laboring jobs, the National Statistical Office said Monday. Year-on-year, the number represented an increase of more than 27,000.
As at May this year, of employed people aged 15-29, 7.7 percent were college dropouts or graduates who worked at menial jobs such as delivering parcels, working at construction sites or at gas stations.
The previous high was 7 percent at 2009, due to the global financial crisis.
This statistic shows how tight the job market has become, with people tending to settle for jobs for which they are overqualified.
The number of menial workers has been increasing since 2013.
The jobless rate reached 10 percent this year, up from 9.8 percent last year.