Repeated Resignations and Joins by 'Pro-Job Changers'
Leaving Large Banks Without Regret
46% of Youth Have Job Change Experience Due to Salary and Other Reasons
[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] Jeong Iseul (34, pseudonym) joined her sixth workplace on the 25th of last month. After accumulating a total of over seven years of experience at large corporations, research institutes, and universities, she moved to a startup fund management company. The reason Jeong chose this place was the condition of "20 hours of work per week with 100% remote work allowed." Jeong said, "I changed jobs because I wanted to gain work experience in various places," and added, "Now, I like that I can control my overall lifestyle."
As the lifelong employment culture disappears, job changes have become a trend among the MZ generation (those born between the 1980s and early 2000s). Among them, ‘pro-job changers’ who repeatedly resign and change jobs based on work-life balance and salary have become mainstream.
Lee Sunam (35, pseudonym), who worked at a large corporation, switched careers to become a Grade 7 administrative public official earlier this year. Lee said, "I worked more than three hours of overtime daily, but no overtime pay was given," and added, "With overtime becoming routine, I even developed gastritis, and I wanted to find a work-life balance." Some pro-job changers receive a higher salary each time they change jobs.
Lee Minhee (28, pseudonym), who moved from a commercial bank to a large financial affiliate company in Yeouido, said, "The current company's salary is about 10 million KRW higher, which made me decide to change jobs," and added, "Considering growth potential and future additional job changes, I thought a large corporation would be more helpful."
The active job changes among young people are also reflected in statistics. According to the "Youth Job Changer Comprehensive Report" published by the Korea Youth Policy Institute, based on a survey of 3,224 youths aged 19 to 34, 46.0% of young people with work experience have changed jobs. The reasons for job changes were highest for wages and in-house welfare at 23.9%, followed by work environment such as supervisors at 20.4%, family circumstances like childcare and housework at 16.1%, and mismatch of aptitude and skills at 14.0%.
Information related to job changes is flooding the internet as well. Content such as "Top 5 Things Retirees Should Prepare" and "Transfer Job Change Tips" are popular. These posts include information about severance pay based on length of service and unemployment benefits.
Professor Song Jaeryong of Kyung Hee University’s Department of Sociology said, "For the MZ generation, rather than settling and staying in one place, there is a tendency to pursue and focus on new things," and added, "This reflects a tendency to evaluate salary levels and welfare scope to choose where to belong and to enjoy maximum benefits in a short period." He continued, "It also seems to reflect a tendency among both job seekers and employers to disregard the labor philosophy and values that previous generations emphasized."
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