Number of young jobless at all-time high

By Lee Kyung-min

The number of jobless young people has reached an all-time high while the quality of jobs undertaken by them is worsening.

According to Statistics Korea, Sunday, the number of unemployed people aged between 20 and 29 stood at 410,000 in the first half of the year, breaking the previous record of 402,500 in the first six months of 2000.

Experts said that the surge reflects the fact that most of them are losing their jobs in less than a year due to part-time contracts or irregular employment.

The study added that among the 410,000, more than a third, or 34.8 percent, chose a part-time job as their first form of employment, ending this within an average of 14.6 months.

“Many of those in their 20s work under short-term or part-time contracts,” said a researcher at Hyundai Research Institute.

“So if they are unable to extend their current contract or find another job soon, they go back to unemployment,” he added.

Such results stem from government-initiated measures adopted last year to increase the aggregate number of people employed by creating more part-time jobs instead of regular ones, he said.

“As part-time jobs count as a statistically recognized form of employment, it might have seemed that the government is doing a good job. But it is a short-term remedy for a problem that requires a more fundamental approach,” he said.

As of last year, the total number of people employed stood at 26.9 million, up 533,000 from a year earlier and the largest increase in the past 12 years; 56,000 people in their 20s were included in the rise.

However, among this, the number of part-time jobs stood at 1.65 million, up 87,000 from a year earlier, the largest surge of such labor since 2005.

“If the government keeps focusing on increasing the number of jobs instead of their quality or stability, the situation will be far from improving,” a union official said.

Such sentiments are echoed by Kim, who graduated from a university in Seoul in 2013. She has yet to land a decent job.

“I work at a convenience store during the daytime, and study TOEIC (a certified English test) at night to apply for a company that offers regular jobs,” Kim said.

“I am afraid that I might have to work at convenience stores forever, not that I’m sure I can have even this contract extended,” she added.