Yubap, "This Year Too, Living a Godly Life" The Continuing Trend of Self-Development Among Office Workers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as people spent more time at home or alone, the trend of self-development emerged. While the "YOLO (You Only Live Once)" lifestyle, which encouraged enjoying the present moment because life happens only once, was once popular, the pandemic led to the rise of a new term, "Gat-saeng" (a neologism combining "God" and "life," referring to a self-management lifestyle focused on setting and achieving goal-oriented plans in study, work, and hobbies). This shift reflects the increased time spent at home and growing social anxiety, which heightened the need for self-management and self-development.

Recent survey results from Ubob Co., Ltd., a corporate education specialist, support this enthusiasm for self-development among office workers. The survey targeted 4,500 male and female employees aged 20 to 59 who use "Ubob Smart Learning." "Ubob Smart Learning" is a subscription-based customized corporate education service that offers unlimited access to job- and rank-specific content based on individual learning data, as well as self-development content including economics, management, humanities, general knowledge, and language learning.

According to the survey, 96.9% (4,361 respondents) reported that their overall work competencies?including knowledge, skills, and attitudes?improved through Ubob Smart Learning. Among them, 58.4% (26,280 respondents) said their work abilities improved significantly. This reflects how office workers are adapting to the new normal by overcoming challenges posed by prolonged remote work and choosing online lectures as a means to strengthen personal capabilities through self-development. It also suggests a demand for online courses that provide clear work manuals and professional explanations to enhance job skills.

Regarding the time of day for learning, the highest response was "during work hours" (33.3%), followed by "after work hours" (21.4%). Learning during "lunch breaks" (17.1%) and "commuting time" (11.8%) was also notable. This indicates that office workers are accustomed to integrating work and learning rather than separating them, using work hours or commute time to enhance job skills and pursue self-development. Considering that most Ubob Smart Learning content is short, around 10 to 15 minutes, the length of individual content may also influence workers' willingness to learn.

When asked about their motivation for learning, respondents cited "company education policies" (45.8%), "self-development" (24.8%), and "improving work competencies" (23.3%) at similar levels. Excluding the somewhat mandatory nature of "company education policies," this means that office workers primarily learn for self-development and to enhance their job skills.

Notably, these motivations are reflected in the overall learning data from Ubob Smart Learning. Over the past year, the most popular categories among client companies were "management tasks" (1st), "business skills" (2nd), "leadership" (3rd), "self-development" (4th), and "language learning" (5th). Frequently mentioned specific content included "data analysis and utilization," "ESG management," "stress management for office workers," and "interpersonal relationships." These results suggest that office workers' self-development needs extend beyond job skills to include trends, mental health, and healing.

Regarding satisfaction with Ubob Smart Learning's AILearn content curation service, 91.8% (4,131 respondents) expressed satisfaction. Ubob's AI recommendation system, AILearn, curates personalized learning content based on learners' history, job roles, ranks, and competency levels. Given the widespread experience with curated recommendation services on platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and online shopping malls, learners appear to respond positively to curated learning content recommendations. Additionally, about 71.6% (3,222 respondents) indicated willingness to retake Ubob Smart Learning courses, suggesting that office workers' desire for voluntary learning to improve job skills and self-development will continue.

Even as daily life returns to normal, the pursuit of learning for self-development and improving work abilities remains strong. Lee Sang-min, Head of Ubob's Digital Marketing Division, stated, "Following 2022, this year too, office workers' desire to pursue goal-oriented lives and enjoy learning is expected to continue. We will strive to provide better experiences to satisfy their learning needs and grow together."

Meanwhile, Ubob is Korea's first subscription-based corporate education company offering legally mandated and job-specific training to companies on an annual subscription basis. In addition to supplying high-quality content, Ubob delivers key HR news through in-depth insights and newsletters.