Value context and insight. lkm@koreatimes.co.kr
More university graduates pessimistic about job prospects
People browse job listings in Seoul. Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
Kim Sung-jin, 24, a business major, says he is applying for jobs without expectations to actually land any.
“I apply because I feel like I have to, not because I think I’ll get in,” he said.
He said he scrolls through job postings every night but that doesn’t mean he is motivated to prepare seriously.
“Last month I sent out seven applications and haven’t heard anything back. It’s hard to imagine that anything will change.”
The scariest part isn’t rejection, he added, but the feeling that there is no place for him at all.
“My friends have all been searching for full-time jobs for many months now. We all spend hours tailoring resumes only to face rejections. The more I try to think I’m getting almost there, the more I feel depressed at the rejection notice. At this point, I’m just doing what I can to not fall behind.”
Similarly, Ahn Ji-yoon, 26, says she feels trapped in a vicious cycle of repeated rejection.
“I never thought I’d still be looking for jobs after graduation,” she said.
She said she is getting to used to finding out there are almost no openings at large corporations where she wants to work.
“My friends and I talk a lot about lowering our expectations in terms of salary, working conditions and everything. It feels like we have to adjust our expectations just to have a chance. I’m exhausted about the whole uncertainty.”
These are two among many young job seekers facing one of the toughest hiring seasons in years.
According to a survey by the Korea Economic Research Institute of 2,492 job seekers, including seniors at university and those who have already graduated, between October and November, 6 out of 10 are technically looking for work and applying for positions, but with low confidence in their employment prospects.
The report classified them as “passive” job seekers.
Of those, some 32 percent said they were only browsing through postings and apply occasionally without concrete plans.
Some 21 percent said they barely engage in job search and application activities, and some 6 percent said they were “taking a break.”
The most common reason for the pessimism was a lack of available jobs (51.8 percent).
Some 22 percent said they felt they wouldn’t be hired even if they applied.
About 16 percent said they were not able to find opportunities in their field, while 13 percent said there were not enough job offerings that match their expectations of wages or working conditions.
As for the overall hiring conditions, about 37 percent said this year is worse than last year. Only 5 percent said this year’s condition has improved.
“Companies’ capacity for new hires are limited by external uncertainties, including high inflation, rapidly changing global trade conditions and tighter domestic labor regulations,” the report said.