People line up to enter a job fair in Seoul, in this file photo taken July 2, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of young South Koreans preparing for exams for public jobs and professional licenses has fallen for the second year in a row, data showed Tuesday.
Some 634,000 people out of 4.16 million economically inactive people aged 15-29 have been preparing for exams to land jobs this year, as of May, down 71,000 from a year earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea.
In 2022, 16.9 percent of economically inactive people sought to take such tests for employment, but the proportion has fallen to 15.2 percent this year, the data showed.
The number of such young South Koreans fell for the first time in four years last year and marked an on-year decline for the second consecutive year.
“More people appear to be seeking higher education as they weren’t well prepared to get jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” an agency official said.
Of those taking exams for jobs this year, 29.3 percent, or 186,000 people, were preparing for state exams to become public servants, down from last year’s 29.9 percent.
But those preparing for jobs at private companies grew 173,000 from 168,000 a year ago, the data showed.
In South Korea, many young people have long favored civil service posts, mainly due to greater job security amid periods of economic slowdown.
Some 3.94 million people of the age group were able to get their first jobs after graduation, and 65.9 percent of them quit them to seek new ones or for other reasons this year, the agency said.
The largest share (45.9 percent) cited dissatisfaction with working conditions, such as working hours and wages.
More than 6 out of every 10 young people hired earned less than 2 million won (US$1,586) per month on average at their first job, it added.
(Yonhap)
