Job Hunting and Dating "Not Needed"... Korean Youths Trapped in Severe Apathy

440,000 Youths Recorded as 'Just Rested' in July
Indifferent to Pursuing Relationships Like Dating
Experts Say "Need for Reality Assessment and Comprehensive Measures"

#1. Mr. An (27), who lives in Jongno-gu, Seoul, has been resting for three months without doing any part-time jobs or job hunting activities. After preparing for employment for over a year, he fell into a state of lethargy after facing multiple rejections during the hiring process. He has stopped living alone and currently lives with his parents, managing on minimal living expenses. Mr. An said, "I no longer have a specific company I want to work for or a particular job I want to do," adding, "I don't want to start anything again for now, so I plan to rest first."

#2. Ms. Park (25), who lives in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, succeeded in getting a job immediately after graduating from university last February but resigned last month. Before working, she had many hobbies and things she wanted to do, but after starting her job, she lost motivation for everything, she lamented. She said, "I was so exhausted from work and couldn't see a future ahead, so I decided to quit," adding, "I plan to just rest until I find something I want to do."

After quitting his job and living in isolation, young man Han Dong-hee, who found a new job and came out into the world, is lost in thought while looking out the cafe window. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

The sense of lethargy among the youth generation has reached its peak. The number of young people who neither seek jobs nor pursue relationships such as dating but simply rest continues to increase, raising concerns about youth isolation.

According to the Economic Activity Survey by Statistics Korea on the 22nd, 443,000 young people aged 15 to 29 reported that they were "just resting" as of last July. This number is even higher than the responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and is the highest ever recorded for the same month since Statistics Korea began the survey. Among them, 75.6% answered "No" when asked if they wanted to work. In the Statistics Korea survey, "resting" refers to those in the non-economic activity population who are neither employed nor unemployed, have no serious illness or disability, but are in a state of simply wanting to rest. The number of people resting has been steadily increasing from 260,000 in 2014.

In response, Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance, stated at the Economic Ministers' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the morning of the 21st, "We will expand the number of participants in the youth work experience program by 10,000 compared to last year and establish a specialized employment support program for unemployed graduates to provide more opportunities for career exploration to the youth." The government's youth work experience program allows unemployed youth to experience actual tasks for about three months, and this year it was conducted for 48,000 participants.

However, experts pointed out that comprehensive measures are needed rather than simply increasing the number of work experiences or internships. Professor Lee Byung-hoon, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Chung-Ang University, explained, "Even if young people seek jobs, the lack of jobs that meet their expectations or repeated failures become trauma, causing them to leave the economic activity market altogether," adding, "Not only jobs but also psychological support that motivates them to try again, or various policies considering the situation such as a youth guarantee system, are necessary."

Professor Kim Seong-hee of Korea University's Graduate School of Labor also warned, "We should not connect everything to employment but provide opportunities to have diverse experiences first," adding, "The increase in resting youth who have reduced social activities and find it difficult to plan their future inevitably leads to the shrinking of the social foundation."

This sense of helplessness among the youth generation also leads to indifference toward dating and marriage. Mr. Jung (28), who lives in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, said, "I hear a lot about having to get married, but I don't really feel like dating or getting married," adding, "Living alone is already tiring, so I wonder if I really need to meet someone." He also added, "It seems that people around me are not as interested in dating as they used to be."

In fact, according to a survey by the University Tomorrow 20s Research Institute, among young people aged 15 to 28, "lover/partner" ranked second as something "not necessary to have in life." The youth generation was the only age group where "lover/partner" appeared in the rankings.

To prevent the isolation of young people who stop job hunting or pursuing relationships, it is analyzed that understanding the actual situation is most important. Professor Koo Jung-woo of Sungkyunkwan University's Department of Sociology advised, "Although awareness of the lethargy among the youth generation exists, in-depth analysis or research is lacking, so measures are superficial," adding, "By accurately identifying their exact situation and addressing structural problems, we can restore vitality to society as a whole."