Koreans hesitant to have children amid pricey Seoul life, scarce regional jobs

Vacant homes in Dong District, Incheon, are seen in this undated file photo. Courtesy of Dong District

A shortage of job opportunities is widely cited as the chief driver of falling birthrates and population outflows in towns and smaller cities, underscoring the need for policies that prioritize job creation to slow the demographic decline.

A report released Thursday by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found the trend especially acute in 89 population-decline zones, defined by eight metrics such as the proportion of residents under 14 and those over 65, over the past five years.

The report is based on a nationwide survey of 5,000 adults aged 19 to 69 conducted last month.

Asked to assess the leading causes of declining birthrates on a five-point scale, respondents identified “a lack of desirable job opportunities” as the top factor, assigning it an average score of 3.61, compared with 3.27 for housing costs and 2.97 for limited child-education facilities.

Among respondents in population-decline zones, employment conditions scored even higher in relation to low birthrates, averaging 4.09.

The same factor also ranked highest for population outflows, scoring 3.8 overall and rising to 4.17 in population-decline zones.

Meanwhile, respondents in the greater Seoul area cited high housing costs as the top factor behind low birthrates, with an average score of 3.45, suggesting that soaring home prices are the primary deterrent to childbirth in the capital region.

By contrast, respondents in depopulation regions showed relatively less concern over housing costs, which averaged 3.05.

“Respondents consistently cited a lack of job opportunities as the top reason for both declining birthrates and regional outmigration,” said Lee Ji-hye, an associate research fellow at the institute. “Jobs are the most fundamental condition for people to remain in regional areas, and future government policies should focus more on employment.”