KCCI Survey... Three out of Four Say "Dislike Provinces," One in Three Says "No Support"
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Although the population and job polarization between the metropolitan area and local regions is severe, young people struggling with job hunting also tend to avoid working in local areas, according to a recent survey.
On the 7th, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) announced the results of a 'Perception Survey on Local Employment' conducted with 301 young people. Regarding whether they avoid working in local areas, 49.2% responded "somewhat yes" and 23.6% "strongly yes." This means that about three out of four avoid it. When asked about their experience applying for jobs outside the metropolitan area, 34.5% said "never." This implies that one in three does not apply to local jobs regardless of conditions. 31.6% said "preferably not," and 19.6% said they apply only to public enterprises or similar. The main reasons for avoiding local work were overwhelmingly "lack of networks such as family and friends" (60.7%) and "poor living and cultural infrastructure" (59.8%). Other reasons included "lack of desired jobs" (14.2%) and "lack of growth opportunities" (6.8%). According to Statistics Korea, as of 2020, about 91,000 young people moved from non-metropolitan areas to the metropolitan area, an increase of more than 1.7 times compared to 2010. The proportion of young people in the non-metropolitan population also continuously declined from 19.7% in 2010 to 18.8% in 2015 and 17.6% in 2020. A person living in Seoul, Mr. A, said, "In Seoul, buses come within 10 minutes at the latest, but in local areas, it is difficult to get around without a car, and same-day delivery, which is available anywhere in Seoul, is not available," adding, "With insufficient living infrastructure and no family or friends, it is natural not to want to work in local areas."
When asked about the most important factors in choosing a company, young people in the metropolitan area ranked salary (36.5%) and work location (28.9%) as first and second. This means that whether they can work in the metropolitan area influences company choice as much as a high salary. "Work-life balance" (21.3%), "personal career development" (9.3%), and "company growth potential" (2.7%) followed. When asked which they would join if two companies of similar level were located in the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas respectively, 98.3% answered "metropolitan company."
Salary was also a key factor. Many responded that they would consider working in local areas only if their salary increased by at least 10 million KRW. When asked how much more salary they would need to accept local work, among those who chose metropolitan companies, 36.5% said "10 million KRW," the highest proportion. Others answered "20 million KRW," "5 million KRW" (18.6%), "3 million KRW" (9.8%), and "15 million KRW" (8.8%). However, 6.1% said they would not work locally regardless of salary. Mr. B, living in Pangyo, Gyeonggi-do, said, "Living alone in local areas requires additional housing and food expenses, and commuting to Seoul on weekends inevitably costs more," emphasizing, "Considering indirect and psychological factors such as poor living conditions and concerns about dating and marriage, the financial benefits must be greater."
The farther from Seoul, the lower the preference. Respondents said they could tolerate working up to Sejong and Daejeon. When asked how far from Seoul they would be willing to work, 64.1% chose Suwon and Yongin, but only 31.9% chose Pyeongtaek and Chungju, which is about half. Sejong and Daejeon were at 25.9%, similar to Pyeongtaek and Chungju. Preference dropped sharply in the southern regions; Daegu and Jeonju were at 14.9%. Only 11% said distance did not matter. Even if the company size was small, the preference for the metropolitan area remained. The response to joining a "local 4 major group company" was 26.6%, while "metropolitan large companies" was overwhelmingly higher at 73.4%. "Local large companies" (49.8%) were even behind "metropolitan mid-sized companies" (50.2%). However, for small and medium-sized enterprises, there was little difference between metropolitan (52.8%) and local (47.2%) preferences. This indicates that for mid-sized companies and above, many young people prefer to work in the metropolitan area.
Young people said that to resolve regional imbalance, the new government should first improve "living conditions" (38.5%). This means creating a self-sustaining environment beyond simply attracting population inflow. "Promoting relocation of major companies to local areas" (21.6%), "developing regional hub cities" (16.9%), "expanding relocation of public institutions" (9.3%), and "fostering regional specialized industries" (7.3%) followed. Mr. C, a job seeker in his third year, said, "The lack of suitable jobs in local areas is a problem, but concerns about inconvenient living conditions make even some good local companies reluctant to apply to," adding, "Improving local living conditions and attracting leisure and cultural facilities will stimulate internal consumption and revive the ecosystem." Jeon Insik, head of the Industrial Policy Office at KCCI, pointed out, "The key to resolving regional imbalance is ultimately to create regions where the future generation of youth and companies leading the local economy want to come and settle." He emphasized, "We must continuously improve local living conditions to meet the expectations of young people and create systems and infrastructure friendly to companies."
KCCI also produced a separate video related to this survey. It includes voices of young people who gave up local public enterprise job offers due to the burden of local work and episodes of commuting to Seoul every weekend for marriage. The video can be viewed on the official KCCI YouTube channel.
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