Only 14% Get 'Immediate Employment' After College Graduation... "Looking for Part-Time Jobs"

Top Post-Graduation Plan for February Graduates: Part-Time Job
Seeking Part-Time Work to Cover Immediate Living and Job Preparation Expenses

Among those who graduated from university in February, only 14% planned to find employment after graduation, with the majority planning to work part-time jobs or continue job searching.

On the 27th, Alba Heaven, a specialized portal for job and part-time job seekers, surveyed 506 February university graduates and prospective graduates about their "plans after graduation." The results showed that "part-time job searching and working" had a higher response rate than "employment." About one in four respondents (23.5%) said they would continue their existing part-time jobs or seek new part-time job opportunities after graduation. Following this, 20.2% said they would focus on "preparing for employment," such as updating language test scores or obtaining certifications, and 16.2% said they would engage in full-time job searching, ranking second and third respectively. Only 14.0% responded that they had succeeded in securing full-time employment, including conversion-type internships, and were either currently working or scheduled to start work.

Other plans included ▲exam preparation for public service or professional qualifications (6.7%), ▲searching for non-regular jobs such as experiential internships or contract positions (6.7%), and ▲continuing studies such as studying abroad or attending graduate school (5.15%).

Those who chose part-time jobs after graduation cited "immediate living expenses and pocket money (46.2%, multiple responses allowed)" as the biggest reason. The next most common reason was "covering costs for employment preparation (37.0%)," indicating a significant financial burden related to living and preparing for employment after graduation. Other reasons included ▲wanting to gain diverse experiences (23.5%), ▲not having any specific plans (21.0%), ▲building qualifications suitable for desired jobs (15.1%), and ▲exploring career paths (13.4%). These responses also reveal concerns about post-graduation career plans that were not fully prepared.

Regarding the duration of part-time work after graduation, a considerable number planned to work for a relatively long period, with 35.3% expecting to work for "3 to 6 months" and 30.3% for "6 months to 1 year." The preferred industries for part-time work were ▲food service and beverages (36.1%), ▲distribution and sales (20.2%), ▲service (14.3%), ▲office and accounting (7.6%), and ▲education and instruction (5.9%). When searching for part-time jobs after graduation, the most important condition considered was "wages (49.6%, multiple responses allowed)," and the most desired monthly wage through part-time work was "between 1 million and 2 million KRW (41.2%)."

Meanwhile, among 116 respondents who were scheduled to graduate in February but postponed their graduation, the biggest reason for deferring graduation was "not having decided on a career path after graduation (35.3%)." Other reasons included ▲not meeting graduation requirements such as credits or course attendance (30.2%), ▲believing it was advantageous for employment to maintain the status of a university graduate candidate (24.1%), and ▲not securing employment before graduation (19.0%).