DistantNews
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

South Korean Youth 'Resting' at Alarming Rates, High School Grads Most Affected

From Hankyoreh · (7m ago) Korean Critical tone

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The number of young people in South Korea who are not employed, studying, or training (referred to as 'resting') is significant, with those who have only a high school diploma being 2.3 times more likely to experience this state than university graduates.
  • While high school graduates tend to repeatedly enter and exit 'resting' periods due to lower-quality job opportunities, university graduates who experience 'resting' are more likely to remain in that state for longer durations, potentially due to a mismatch between educational investment and available jobs.
  • The report emphasizes the critical 'golden time' of one year for intervention, as the probability of returning to the labor market drastically decreases after this period, urging tailored policy approaches for different educational backgrounds.

A recent report from the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET) sheds light on a growing concern within South Korea's youth labor market: the phenomenon of 'resting' young individuals. The study, which tracked high school students over several years, reveals a stark disparity based on educational attainment. It found that individuals with only a high school diploma are significantly more likely to experience periods of 'resting' – a state of not being employed or in education – compared to their university-educated peers. This suggests that the quality and accessibility of entry-level jobs play a crucial role in young people's career trajectories.

High school graduates are 2.3 times more likely to experience 'resting' than university graduates.

— KRIVET reportHighlighting the disparity in 'resting' rates based on educational background.

The report further differentiates the patterns of 'resting' between high school and university graduates. While high school graduates may cycle in and out of 'resting' due to frequent job changes in lower-tier positions, university graduates tend to remain in this state for longer periods. This could be attributed to a widening gap between the expectations fostered by higher education and the reality of the job market, leading some to choose 'resting' over accepting less desirable positions. The study also noted a peculiar trend among young men: the higher their education level, the more likely they are to be in a 'resting' state. This is contrasted with young women, whose 'resting' rates decrease with higher education.

The quality of jobs accessible to high school graduates is relatively low, leading to frequent job changes and cycles of employment and 'resting'.

— Jeong Ji-woonSenior Research Fellow at KRIVET, explaining the reasons behind the higher 'resting' rates for high school graduates.

This trend among educated young men is particularly noteworthy and warrants deeper examination within the South Korean context. Unlike in some Western countries where lower-skilled men might exit the labor market due to automation, in South Korea, highly educated men may be waiting for entry into highly competitive primary labor markets, such as large corporations. The intense pressure from parents, who often have higher educational backgrounds themselves, can exacerbate this situation, leading to a unique 'reverse phenomenon' where higher education correlates with a longer 'resting' period. This is a direct consequence of the high entry barriers and waiting costs in South Korea's dual labor market.

In the US and Europe, low-skilled men are leaving the labor market due to automation and industrial decline, but in Korea, high-skilled men are statistically 'resting' while waiting for entry into the primary market.

— Jeong Ji-woonComparing the 'resting' phenomenon in South Korea to Western countries.

KRIVET's findings underscore the urgent need for tailored policy interventions. For high school graduates, the focus should be on increasing engagement with employment services within the first year of graduation, with continued monitoring for several years. For university graduates, policies should aim to improve the quality of first jobs rather than solely encouraging 'downward' employment, as low-quality jobs can lead to repeated exits from the labor force. The concept of a 'golden time' – the first year of 'resting' – is critical, as the chances of re-entering the workforce diminish sharply thereafter. Proactive and timely intervention is key to preventing long-term labor market detachment.

Intervention must occur within one year to be effective.

— KRIVET reportEmphasizing the critical 'golden time' for policy intervention.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog