"I Am More Important Than the Company" Millennials Deciding to Quit Their Jobs [Heo Midam's Youth Report]

Increase in Young Adults with Job Change Experience
Half of Companies "Make Separate Efforts to Attract MZ Generation"
Experts "The Concept of 'Lifetime Employment' Disappears"

Office workers are walking to work at the Sejongno intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

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[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] # Kim, a worker in his 20s employed at an advertising company, decided to quit just one month after joining. Kim said, "The job posting stated that 'work-life balance' is strictly maintained and that the company has a horizontal organizational structure. So I joined with high expectations, but the reality was completely different," adding, "There were many miscellaneous tasks unrelated to my work, so I often had no choice but to work overtime." He continued, "I thought it was better to quit sooner if I was going to quit. Wouldn't it be better for the company to find other colleagues who are passionate about their work?"

As the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged and the job market froze, more young people are preparing to change jobs or start businesses immediately after joining a company. Despite their hard-won employment success, they decide to change jobs, citing poor working conditions and low pay. Experts analyze that unlike the older generation, who firmly believed in the concept of a 'lifetime job,' young people are less afraid of changing jobs.

Lee, in his 20s, recently quit his job due to his workplace superior. He said, "There was so much work that I had no personal life. Due to the heavy workload, I worked at home even after leaving the office," adding, "But the pay was not high either. On payday, instead of feeling happy, I first thought, 'Did I work so hard just to get this money?' and decided to quit."

Many young workers like Lee decide to change jobs. According to a survey by the Korea Youth Policy Institute of 3,224 young people, 46.0% of those with work experience had changed jobs. Among them, 55.5% had changed jobs more than twice, and 15.0% had changed jobs four or more times.

The main reason for changing jobs was 'wages and other employee benefits' at 23.9%. This was followed by ▲work environment including supervisors (20.4%) ▲family circumstances such as childcare and housework (16.1%) ▲mismatch of aptitude and skills (14.0%) ▲safety (11%) ▲personal development (7.7%) ▲personal business (6.2%).

On the 17th of last month, when the written examination for the 9th grade national public official open competitive recruitment was held, candidates were entering the examination hall set up at Gyeongbok High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the situation is not much different for public officials, often called 'God's job' due to its stability. According to the '2020 Public Service Life Survey' report published earlier this year by the Korea Institute of Public Administration, 31.1% of surveyed public officials (4,339 people) said they had 'intentions to change jobs.' Especially among public officials in their 20s, 38.4% expressed intentions to change jobs.

It is not difficult to find posts on online communities where public officials who passed the highly competitive exams express their desire to quit.

One netizen opened up on the 27th through a community related to academy instructors, saying, "Until 2019, I was an English instructor at a large academy. However, with other large academies opening nearby and the COVID-19 pandemic, the academy's finances worsened, and I resigned in January last year."

He continued, "I studied desperately and passed the public official exam, and have been working at the community service center since October last year," adding, "But dealing with 80 to 100 civil petitioners alone every day is more exhausting than ever. Today, a difficult petitioner threw a bookend at me, hitting my arm. I deeply regret that public service work does not suit my personality."

Job seekers are looking at the job posting board. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As frequent resignations among young people increase, some companies are making special efforts to encourage long-term employment. According to a survey conducted by Saramin targeting 271 companies, 49.1% of all companies are making efforts to secure MZ generation talent.

Specifically, they are ▲creating a free and comfortable working environment (51.9%, multiple responses) ▲maintaining work-life balance in work methods (48.9%) ▲forming a corporate culture that respects personal preferences (39.8%) and other efforts.

Experts analyze that young people decide to quit more easily than the older generation when their workplace does not meet their expectations.

Professor Kwak Geumju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology said, "Young people tend to change jobs to another with better conditions if their current workplace does not meet their expectations," adding, "Even if they find a job with difficulty, if the gap between reality and ideals is large, young people cannot endure it and try to change jobs." She added, "Young people, who dislike being tied down to anything, are less afraid of changing jobs than the older generation."