Number of Job Seekers Hits Record-High
By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter
The number of college graduates looking for employment has increased to an all-time high with more students seeking to obtain so-called ``decent jobs'' after additional study amid a tight labor market. Also, many workers have quit their jobs to find more secure careers with higher salaries and social status.
According to the National Statistical Office Monday, those who study or train to acquire jobs in government agencies, public schools and large companies totaled 546,000 as of the end of last year, the highest since 2003 when the statistical office began compiling data. In 2006, it rose to 525,000 from 457,000 in 2005, 383,000 in 2004 and 345,000 in 2003.
Individuals preparing for employment are currently classified as part of the economically inactive population because they are not directly engaged in job-hunting activities, according to the statistical office. But in reality, they fall into the category of job seekers and should be as regarded jobless, which would push up the country's unemployment rate substantially higher.
Among people preparing for jobs, 220,000 were found to have taken classes at private institutes for the bar exam and other state-administered tests, and at vocational training centers in 2007, down 2.7 percent from a year earlier. The remaining 299,000 were studying at home, up 9 percent from 2006.
``The number of university graduates preparing for employment has continued to increase over the years as more are willing to study longer to get decent works that offer higher salaries and greater job security. Also, many white-collar employees have quit work to study again to become lawyers, civil servants, doctors and other occupations with high social status,'' said Sohn Min-jung, researcher at Samsung Economic Research Institute, said.
However, the number of such jobs has decreased or become harder to get because of intensifying competition among college graduates and workers, pushing up the number of people preparing for work, he said.
``Local manufacturers have generated fewer decent jobs as the economy has become a more capital and technology-centered one and companies have expanded operations overseas rather than here. Instead, a number of manual and low paying positions in the services sector have been created,'' Sohn said.