Employment Barriers Worsened by COVID-19... Anxious University Students Submitting Leave of Absence Requests

Taking a Leave of Absence to Focus on Certifications
Psychological Anxiety Also When Graduating
44% Plan to Take a Leave in the Second Semester

On the 16th, two weeks before the start of the second semester at university, a student is passing by an empty student bulletin board. As the spread of COVID-19 intensifies, major universities in Seoul plan to continue primarily online classes for the second semester.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Lee (25), a third-year student at a university in the Seoul metropolitan area, decided to take a leave of absence next semester. Due to the increasingly narrow job market caused by COVID-19, he plans to study for certification exams. Disappointed with online classes, he submitted a leave of absence starting from the first semester last year and began preparing for the Certified Real Estate Appraiser exam. Lee said, "Since COVID-19 seems likely to continue, I plan to spend enough time studying outside of school," adding, "I will continue my leave of absence until the first semester of next year and focus entirely on obtaining the certification."

As COVID-19 prolongs and the job market becomes more challenging, more university students are taking leaves of absence to study for certifications or delaying graduation.

Choi (27), a student at Sogang University, has also postponed graduation for a year. He is concerned that becoming a graduate might result in penalties during job hunting, so he is deferring graduation. Choi said, "The biggest reason for not graduating is to maintain the psychological stability that comes with being a university student." Graduates who have already left school often express a significant psychological difference compared to when they were enrolled. Some regret, saying, "I should have taken a leave of absence or deferred."

Lee (28), a job seeker who graduated from a university in Seoul after the first semester last year, said, "Losing the status of a university student makes me feel like I am nothing, and this situation seems to negatively affect my job search, making each day of preparation anxious."

According to a survey conducted by the recruitment platforms JobKorea and Albamon targeting 1,470 university students, 44.4% responded that they plan to take a leave of absence in the second semester this year. Compared to an earlier survey conducted at the beginning of this year, where 26.4% of 2,373 students said they would take a leave of absence in the first semester, this is an 18 percentage point increase. Among four-year university students, the intention to take a leave of absence increased with grade level: ▲1st year 29.5% ▲2nd year 46.7% ▲3rd year 50.0% ▲4th year 53.6%. According to statistics from the Korea Educational Development Institute as of October 1 last year, the number of university students on leave was 531,788, an increase of 7,927 compared to April 1 of the same year.