Social Distancing Lifted... Youth Job Search Still in Winter

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Kim, a 28-year-old civil service exam candidate, continues to repeat the same daily routine even though most social distancing restrictions have been lifted. He heads to the library every day to prepare for the upcoming civil service exam. Although he sometimes thinks about trying other job fields besides civil service, he still hears from those around him that the job market remains tight. Kim said, "I feel like I'm falling behind compared to my friends, so I think I need to catch up quickly," adding, "The lifting of social distancing restrictions is a separate matter from job seekers."

As social distancing restrictions are lifted and people come out onto the streets, the job market still feels cold in reality. Job seekers hope that as the economy revitalizes, job opportunities will increase, but the environment for job preparation is becoming increasingly unfavorable.

On the 18th, the government lifted social distancing restrictions such as business hours. Additionally, with the weather warming up, people are flocking to popular outing spots. People are also moving to airports to travel abroad. With the COVID-19 spread peaking and declining, the number of users at Incheon Airport exceeded 20,000 on the 1st, marking about 25 months since March 9, 2020.

However, job seekers feel marginalized even amid the festive atmosphere following the lifting of social distancing restrictions. Park, a 27-year-old job seeker, said, "My friends asked me to go on a 1-night, 2-day trip, but I refused," adding, "There is a party atmosphere around me, so it inevitably interferes with my studies." The number of discouraged job seekers has been increasing every year. Last year, the number of discouraged job seekers was about 628,000, an increase of approximately 180,000 compared to 2016. Long-term unemployed individuals who have not sought jobs for over six months also increased last year. Nearly half of these belong to the 20s and 30s age group.

The hiring policies of companies, which have been changing since the spread of COVID-19, are also a burden for job seekers. Companies are shifting from traditional open recruitment to rolling recruitment. SK Group and Lotte Group will switch to rolling recruitment starting this year. Hanwha adopted rolling recruitment in 2018, and LG has been using this method since last year.

Internships linked to recruitment are also on the rise. During internship activities, job seekers find it difficult to follow other companies' recruitment schedules, making this hiring method less preferred. Han, a 32-year-old currently doing a recruitment-linked internship, said, "I haven't adapted to rolling recruitment itself, and it's hard to plan my job search while interning," adding, "Even if COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, I think this trend will continue, which is disappointing."