Following Consecutive Intern Deaths... Vocational High School Employment Rate Hits Record Low

Employment Rate in Businesses with Fewer Than 30 Employees Declines for Third Consecutive Year
Overall Employment Rate at 55.3%, Down 0.4%P from Previous Year
Ministry of Education Announces "Measures to Improve Employment Rate"

Following a series of deaths among vocational high school interns, the employment rate has recorded an all-time low. In particular, the employment rate at workplaces with fewer than 30 employees, where working conditions are poor, has been steadily declining.

On the 6th, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Educational Development Institute announced the results of the "2024 Vocational High School Graduates Employment Statistics" survey containing these details. The vocational high school graduates employment statistics survey is a nationally approved statistic that has been conducted annually since 2020, based on April 1 each year, linking public databases such as employment insurance and health insurance to track the employment status of vocational high school students after graduation. This survey targeted 63,005 graduates from 577 vocational high schools as of February 2024, gathering detailed information on employment and further education status.

A scene from a vocational high school job fair. Photo by Asia Economy DB.

Among the 63,005 vocational high school graduates this year, 16,588 were employed, 30,216 pursued further education, 1,716 enlisted in the military, and 1,059 were recognized as exceptions. The overall employment rate was 55.3%, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous year. Meanwhile, the rate of further education increased by 1.0 percentage point to 48.0%. The unemployment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 21.3%. The Ministry of Education analyzed that the proportion of students deciding their career paths before graduation has increased.

Provided by the Ministry of Education.

In particular, when looking at the proportion of employed graduates among all graduates, this year’s figure was 26.3%, marking the lowest in the history of the survey. The proportion of unemployed graduates was also 21.3%, the lowest since the first survey in 2020. Regarding this, Kim Dong-wook, Director of Secondary Vocational Education Policy at the Ministry of Education, said, "It is true that the employment rate is declining," adding, "Since the internship accidents, the employment rate has sharply decreased and has not recovered." In 2017, an intern died while working at a beverage factory in Seogwipo City, Jeju, and in 2021, another intern died at a yacht dock in Yeosu City, Jeollanam-do.

Provided by the Ministry of Education.

The employment rate at workplaces with fewer than 30 employees, where internship accidents were frequent, has been declining for three consecutive years. Employment rates by workplace size were 23.5% for 1,000 or more employees, 11.0% for 300 to fewer than 1,000 employees, 34.5% for 30 to fewer than 300 employees, 26.1% for 5 to fewer than 30 employees, and 4.8% for fewer than 5 employees, with the highest proportion in companies with 30 to fewer than 300 employees.

By school type, Meister High Schools had the highest employment rate among vocational high schools at 72.6%, followed by Specialized High Schools at 52.3%, and General High School vocational classes at 43.9%. Regionally, eight cities and provinces?Gyeongbuk (69.5%), Daegu (65.3%), Daejeon (61.1%), Gyeongnam (59.5%), Sejong (59.4%), Chungnam (58.2%), Gangwon (56.2%), and Gwangju (55.9%)?had employment rates higher than the overall average of 55.3%.

By gender, the employment rate for male graduates was 54.6%, while female graduates had a higher employment rate of 56.3%.

The one-year employment retention rate for vocational high school graduates decreased compared to the previous year. The six-month retention rate was 82.2% (15,951 people), unchanged from the previous year. The 12-month retention rate was 66.2% (12,849 people), down 0.2 percentage points from the previous year. By school type, the first retention rate was 88.1% and the second 69.7% for Meister High Schools; 81.0% and 65.6% for Specialized High Schools; and 76.4% and 59% for General High School vocational classes, with Meister High Schools showing the highest retention rates.

Director Kim said, "We are considering increasing the proportion of vocational high school graduates employed by public institutions and expanding excellent company-linked job training programs," adding, "We will collaborate with other ministries such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor to enhance employment rates by linking career planning to further education and employment."