The city of Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi Province cancelled this month’s job fair and is currently considering shutting down next month’s fair. (image: Gwangmyeong City Office)
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The coronavirus outbreak is driving local authorities to cancel job fairs and job seekers to postpone their applications.
The city of Ansan in Gyeonggi Province decided to cancel both this month and next month’s job fair that used to be held regularly on the 19th every month.
Officials in Anyang, meanwhile, decided to deviate from the original plan of holding between six and eight job fairs this year, and cancelled the event scheduled for Mar. 19 at city hall.
The city also indefinitely postponed permanent job search services for incoming employees normally held at city hall.
The city of Gwangmyeong cancelled this month’s job fair and is currently considering shutting down next month’s fair as well.
The city is eyeing the current situation to decide whether to proceed with a large-scale job fair scheduled for April and June.
In the meantime, small businesses are struggling to recruit staff as kindergartens, daycare centers, and schools are postponing the new semester, leaving parents with the additional burden of having to take care of children at home.
As short-term job positions are shrinking due to the struggling food and services market, some job seekers are choosing to postpone their applications to wait until the coronavirus situation improves.
“Small businesses are looking for employees, but we don’t have any potential candidates,” said an employee from the Gwangmyeong Job Center.
“Mothers, grandmothers, and certain family members are refraining from searching for a job because they have to take care of children at home.”
Local authorities showed concern that a lengthy health scare may lead to a serious recession in the job market, exacerbating the current situation among employers and job seekers.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
