Generation Stagnation: Alarming Rise in Young People ‘Just Resting’ Hits Post-Pandemic High
Young People Giving Up on Finding a Job: A Growing Concern
According to recent data, the number of young people who have given up on finding a job has increased significantly. Among young people who have not been employed for more than three years, the number of those who have not received job training or prepared for employment but have simply ’rested at home’ has reached its highest level in the past three years.
Statistics Korea’s supplementary microdata on the economically active youth population (15-29 years old) survey revealed that the number of young people who graduated from high school (including completion and dropout) but have not been employed for more than three years was 238,000 as of May. This is an increase of 9.2% (20,000 people) compared to 218,000 people in May last year, and is the largest number in the past three years (2022-2024) since COVID-19.
Notably, 34.2% (82,000 people) of them answered that their main activity was ‘just spending time at home, etc.’. More than one in three long-term unemployed youths of three years or more spent their time without doing job training, preparing for employment exams, or job-seeking activities.
The proportion of young people who responded that they actually prepared for employment decreased as the period increased. Activities for employment are the sum of job-seeking activities, job training, and the proportion of those who attended libraries and academies to prepare for employment exams.
Among the unemployed youth for more than 3 years, the number of youth who simply rested at home decreased from 96,000 in 2021, 84,000 in 2022, and 80,000 in 2023, but has turned to increase this year to 82,000. The number of youth resting has increased significantly compared to before COVID-19.
The number of ‘young job seekers who want to work and are able to do so, but have given up on finding a job because they feel they will not be able to find one with the right wage level and other conditions, is also increasing. The monthly average number of young people who gave up on finding a job from January to May was 121,790, an increase of about 11,000 compared to the same period last year (108,525).
To address this issue, the government has announced a ‘plan to promote youth labor market inflow’ to attract ’resting’ youth to the labor market. However, some experts argue that policies that focus only on job support have limitations in a situation where the dual structure of the labor market is deepening and the quality jobs that young people want are not increasing enough.