Thousands of young people who tested a written exam for public servants at a middle school in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The 29-year-old man, surnamed Park, first jumped into the job market in 2017, and quit four jobs before landing a position at a public agency in Gyeonggi Province.
“Everyone would tell me that transferring to another job was pointless since all companies are the same. They always thought I was the one with a problem,” he said. “But I am very satisfied with my decision.”
An increasing number of people are beginning to have similar thoughts to Park’s and leaving a job has become a major source of online media commentary among people in their 20s and 30s.
A podcast app has more than 40 podcasts discussing quitting jobs. There are popular videos on YouTube that deal with similar issues.
There are even consulting firms or gatherings that help a person quit his/her job.
The diverse values and beliefs held by the younger generation are colliding with strict, one-dimensional organizational culture, becoming a good reason for many people to leave their job or transfer to another company.
Online recruiting company JobKorea conducted a survey of 343 office workers in their 20s and 30s, in which 3 out of 10 had left their job after less than a year.
“The number of new recruits quitting their jobs has tripled in the last two years,” said a conglomerate official, asking not to be named.
This file photo, taken July 3, 2021, shows people crossing a street near Hongik University in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Statistics Korea said that the majority of people have quit their jobs because of unsatisfactory working conditions, including wages and working hours, followed by other personal reasons (14.5 percent) like health, child-rearing and marriage.
The fundamental solution to reining in recruits in their 20s and 30s is to fully understand their needs and properly address them.
“The younger generation wants to make achievements on their own, and they just can’t stand feeling like they’re just a part of the machine. We need to take this into consideration,” said Oh Chan-ho, a sociology scholar.
Some say that it isn’t bad that Koreans in their 20s and 30s are quitting their jobs or transferring to another company, but it actually works as a driving social force.
“It is good to know that young Koreans are willing to quit their jobs in search of companies where they can achieve their fullest potential,” said Kim Gye-soo, a professor of business administration Semyung University.
“Staying put leads to no change, but moving does. And, if they grow, they will be able to contribute more to the organization and society.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
