[Cheongchun Report] It's Too Late If You Quit and Start... Office Workers Entering the 'Sajja War'

Rising Popularity of Professionals Like Tax Accountants and CPAs
Office Workers Also Prepare While Working

Kim (28), a second-year employee working at a cosmetics company in Seoul, has been preparing for the tax accountant certification exam for the past year. He said, "I started working at a related company because I liked cosmetics, but reality was different from what I had imagined," adding, "With repetitive overtime work and low salary, I naturally wanted to do something else." Kim also said, "I considered changing to another company, but I felt I wouldn't build expertise or feel a sense of accomplishment, so I started thinking about a professional career." Currently, Kim studies for the certification at a study room near his home until midnight after leaving work at 6 p.m.

Recently, as uncertainty about the future has increased, employment trends among young people are changing. While the popularity of public servants, once called the "God's job," has declined, interest in professional certification exams has grown, with even some office workers jumping in.

Popularity of Professional Careers Rises as Public Servant Popularity Declines

[Image source=Pixabay]

This year, the number of applicants for the first round of the tax accountant exam surpassed 20,000, reaching an all-time high. According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, 23,377 people applied for the 61st tax accountant first exam, marking the highest number ever. This is an increase of 6,560 applicants compared to last year. The number of applicants for the tax accountant first exam has steadily increased: 12,494 in 2021, 14,728 in 2022, and 16,817 in 2023.

The number of applicants for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam also rose sharply. The Financial Supervisory Service announced that 16,914 people applied for this year's CPA first exam, a 6.1% (974 people) increase compared to 15,940 applicants last year. However, the competition ratio dropped to 5.64 to 1 from 6.13 to 1 the previous year. This is because the expected number of successful candidates for the first exam increased by 400 to 3,000 compared to last year. The Financial Services Commission raised the minimum number of CPA recruits to 1,250 this year, 150 more than the previous year. Additionally, the number of applicants for other exams such as real estate appraiser and judicial scrivener continues to rise.

On the other hand, the number of applicants for public servant exams is steadily decreasing. This year's average competition ratio for the national public servant level 9 open competitive recruitment exam was 21.8 to 1, the lowest in 32 years since 1992 (19.3 to 1). The competition ratios over the past five years show a clear downward trend: 37.2 to 1 in 2020, 35.0 to 1 in 2021, 29.2 to 1 in 2022, 22.8 to 1 last year, and 21.8 to 1 this year. The number of applicants this year also sharply dropped by 17,929 compared to last year (121,526).

Reasons for Popularity of Professional Careers: Job Stability, High Salary, etc.

Experts attribute these changes to factors such as ▲ high job stability including retirement guarantees ▲ decreased demand for liberal arts graduates in large corporations and public enterprises ▲ relatively high salary levels. Ultimately, although the time and effort required are doubled, the preference for professional careers seems to arise from the perception that, unlike general companies, job stability is guaranteed and salaries are relatively high.

Especially amid the economic downturn, as hiring thresholds rise, this trend has intensified. Lee (27), who has been preparing for the real estate appraiser exam for three years, said, "I started studying for the appraiser exam even before graduating from university," adding, "The job market is becoming more competitive, and even if I get a job, I chose a professional career because I thought I would be stressed by an uncertain future."

Some young workers in their 20s and 30s are also diving into professional certification studies. Rather than quitting their jobs abruptly, they balance work and study by going to study rooms after work. Even if it takes longer than others to obtain certifications, they do not quit their livelihoods to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.

Related posts are continuously appearing in CPA and tax accountant communities. One netizen who said they are studying for the tax accountant exam while working said, "The work-life balance at my job is good, so I thought this is the time to study for a professional career," adding, "As a non-major, I have been studying for a long time. Still, I believe that if I keep at it steadily, I will eventually see the light."