Recent analyses show that about 1 in 5 discouraged job seekers are in their 20s, pointing to a growing number of young people abandoning the job search even before entering the labor market.

According to microdata from Statistics Korea, 73,407 individuals in their 20s were classified as discouraged from job seeking as of March, accounting for 20.7 percent of the total 354,000. This marks the largest share among all age groups, exceeding those in their 30s (58,653), 40s (50,704), 50s (45,760) and 60s (68,947).

Overall employment indicators worsened. The number of employed people in their 20s fell by 167,000 from a year earlier.

Employment among those aged 15-29 dropped by 147,000, marking the 41st consecutive month of decline. The employment rate fell 0.9 percentage point to 43.6 percent, extending a 23-month downward trend, while the unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent, the highest level in five years.


don@heraldcorp.com