"No Retirement Worries and High Salary"...2030s Leaving Large Corporations to Join Construction Sites [Report]

Number of Candidates Taking Technical Exams in Architecture Field Increased by 42.5% Compared to 5 Years Ago... Among Them, 47% Are in the 2030 Generation
Autonomous Work and Management as Desired... Greater Work Leads to Increased Sense of Achievement and Pride

"You shouldn't hold it like that, a little to the left. That's right, grip it tighter."

On the afternoon of the 14th at 2 PM, in the basement level 1 of an officetel building in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, the training center was bustling with students carrying construction knives and training materials despite the snowy weekend. This place is an interior film academy that opened last year.

It was originally established targeting middle-aged men, who are typically in high demand for construction technical jobs, but due to a flood of inquiries from young students wanting to learn skills during their free time, a 'weekend class' was separately launched three months ago. Currently, all weekday classes from the 1st to the 9th batch are fully booked, and the weekend class has a full waiting list until the next batch.

Among the seven students who received 'sash attachment training' that day, more than half, four, were in their 20s and 30s. Female students wearing caps and handling wood were also noticeable. Kang Da-hye (29), who has been coming here for a month to learn interior construction, was one of them.

Kang said, "Since last month, I have been living a 'double life'?working in an office on weekdays managing business, and learning field skills here on weekends. When I actually went to the site, there were many peers, so it didn’t feel unfamiliar, and sweating it out on site made the time pass quickly, which was better than spending weekdays in the office."

On the 14th, Kang Da-hye (29) is practicing sash attachment at the Interior Film Academy in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Lee Seo-hee]

Applicants for Construction Technical Jobs Increased by 42.5% Over 5 Years... 47% Are in Their 20s and 30s

The stereotype that 'technical jobs are cold and tough' is being broken as more young people leave offices and jump into construction sites. Some even quit prestigious jobs at large corporations and public enterprises to choose technical jobs.

According to the national technical qualification information book 'JwakyukQ' published by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, the number of applicants for architectural technical exams in 2022 was 161,000, nearly a 43% increase compared to 113,000 in 2018, five years earlier. Among detailed sectors, the number of applicants in architectural equipment fields such as architectural equipment engineer and architectural mechanical equipment technician reached 27,000, showing the largest growth rate of 36.1% over five years.

The increase in the 20s and 30s age group was also remarkable. The proportion of applicants in their 20s and 30s among all applicants rose annually from 44.0% in 2020, 44.3% in 2021, to 47.0% in 2022. A representative from the Human Resources Development Service of Korea analyzed, "Architectural field certifications are widely used on site and directly linked to practical work, making them highly useful. Interest among young people preparing for employment is increasing every year."

Actually, when checking a community mainly used for recruiting construction site technical workers, about 40 posts titled 'Looking for a team to work with' were posted in the last three months, mainly around Guro-gu, Seoul. Most of these posts were by beginner 'jogong (assistants)' in their 20s and 30s. There were also about 10 posts from interior technology specialized academies recruiting weekend class students for workers in the area.

Lee Dae-yeol, CEO of Eol-a Interior Film Academy, said, "Because of the stereotype that field technical jobs are cold and tough, we did not expect much demand from young people, but unexpectedly, even very young people in their early 20s have been inquiring a lot. Some work at large corporations or public enterprises on weekdays and seriously consider changing jobs by learning field skills here on weekends," he said.

Higher Sense of Achievement Than Office Jobs... Salaries Comparable to Large Corporations

The background for young people choosing field technical jobs includes difficulties in the job market such as job scarcity and employment instability. Once learned, technical jobs can be done without worrying about retirement age, and wages increase with experience. The autonomy to manage work schedules as desired and to act proactively is also cited as an advantage.

Kim (30), who worked as a medical public official in Gyeonggi-do for five years, also chose a technical job leaving behind a stable position. As his skepticism about his work grew, he became interested in technical jobs where he could actively do 'his own work.'

Kim said, "Being a public official was stable in itself, but I felt there wasn’t much I could do within that role, which made me skeptical. Many jobs are expected to be replaced by machines in the future, but I think field technical jobs are among the last to require human hands," he said.

On the 14th, a student is receiving practical training at the Interior Film Academy in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Seohee Lee]

There were also voices saying that the more they work, the more they feel a sense of achievement and pride. Kim Ho-gyun (24), who learned interior technology right after discharge, said, "People around me discouraged me, asking why I chose a technical job, but after actually jumping into this work, I felt proud because the results showed according to my efforts, and it’s fun to increase my salary as my skills improve. Currently, I work about 20 to 25 days a month, and my annual salary is about 50 million KRW, which is comparable to large corporations," he said.

Experts interpret this as young people making practical choices in a situation where large corporations and public enterprises, once considered 'good jobs,' no longer guarantee stability and high wages.

Professor Yoon In-jin of the Department of Sociology at Korea University said, "Large corporations have employment instability, and public officials have wage insecurity. Young people seem to be more open and responsive to changing times than older generations," he said.