A job fair is crowded with jobseekers in Seoul, in this file photo taken July 3, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent survey reveals that one in three South Korean workers has encountered discrepancies between job advertisements and actual working conditions, commonly referred to as “recruitment fraud.”
Conducted by Global Research on behalf of the workplace rights group Workplace Abuse 119, the survey, held from June 1 to June 7, included 1,000 workers aged 19 and older nationwide. The results, published on August 10, show that while 64.7% of respondents found job postings and actual work conditions to align, 35.5% reported discrepancies.
Discrepancies were notably more prevalent among non-regular workers (39.3%) and employees in businesses with fewer than five employees (42.4%). Issues such as the repeated extension of probation periods and exaggerated or false job descriptions were cited as key forms of “probationary abuse.”
The survey also revealed overwhelming support for reforming hiring practices: 85.8% of respondents endorsed extending the hiring procedure laws currently applicable to businesses with 30 or more employees to all companies, in a bid to curb deceptive recruitment practices.
Workplace Abuse 119 emphasized that such “hiring abuse” exploits the desperation of job seekers and called for urgent legislative changes, including stronger penalties—moving from fines to criminal charges—for employers who mislead potential employees about job conditions.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
