The top reason for giving up such activities was found to be ‘financial difficulty’ at 30 percent.(Image:Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — The exacting employment landscape for young South Koreans has pushed more than 70 percent of jobseekers to either break up with their significant other or give up dating in order to focus on preparation for the job market.
According to the results of a survey conducted by online employment portal Incruit on 964 members including college students, job applicants and currently-employed workers, 74 percent of the respondents answered ‘yes’ to the question ‘Have you ever broken up with a lover or are you intending to give up dating for job preparation?’
Dating was not the only thing that job applicants abstained from. To the question ‘What is it that you gave up or refrained from doing while preparing for a job?’, the answer ‘vacations and trips’ ranked first with 21 percent of the total replies, followed by ‘meeting friends’ (17 percent), ‘stress-induced health’ (17 percent), and hobbies and social group activities (14 percent). ‘Dating’ was ranked fifth at 13 percent.
The top reason for giving up such activities was found to be ‘financial difficulty’ at 30 percent. Other popular responses included ‘no leisure to pay attention to things other than employment’ (26 percent), ‘uneasy feelings and pressure from acquaintances’ (21 percent), and ‘frustration with my current status as a job applicant’ (21 percent).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, 87 percent of the respondents said that they empathized with the ‘giving up generation’ nickname that young Koreans commonly use to refer to themselves.
Other things respondents said they had given up included dreams (12 percent), hobbies (12 percent) life values (12 percent), dating (11 percent), social relationships (10 percent), buying a house (10 percent), hope (10 percent) and giving a birth to a child (8 percent).
J.A. Kang (jakang@koreabizwire.com)
