"Now Even Experienced Workers Start with 'Break'... 30s Job Seekers Giving Up Hits 6-Month High"

320,000 Thirty-Somethings 'Just Taking a Break'... Record High for Six Months
Lack of Quality Jobs and Job Mismatch Are Major Factors
"After Youth, Now Experienced Workers Are 'Taking a Break'"
Little Hope for Improvement in Employment Conditions for Now

The number of job seekers in their 20s and 30s who have given up looking for work has reached an all-time high. While the number of 'youth unemployed' under 20 has surpassed 1.2 million, the population of 30-somethings who are 'taking a break' has also broken records for six consecutive months.

According to the National Statistical Portal (KOSIS) of Statistics Korea on the 16th, the population of 30-somethings who are 'taking a break' reached 316,000 in February, marking the highest number ever recorded for that month. 'Taking a break' refers to those who do not have serious illnesses or disabilities and have no intention of seeking employment, responding "just resting" in the economically active population survey. Since they have no intention to seek work, they are classified as economically inactive population rather than unemployed within the economically active population.

The number of 30-somethings 'just resting' in February increased by 14,000 compared to a year ago. This is the highest number recorded for the same month since statistics began to be compiled in 2003. The population of 30-somethings 'taking a break' has been increasing by about 10,000 to 50,000 each month compared to the previous year since last September, continuing a record-breaking streak. Their share of the population has also remained at a six-month high of 4.5% to 4.8%.

At the mid-sized companies job fair held at COEX in Seoul last May, job seekers are looking at the job posting board.

Experts analyze that a significant portion of 30-somethings 'taking a break' includes those who have quit their jobs at least once and given up job searching because they could not find a desirable position. Looking at 30-somethings unemployed with similar characteristics, as of last year, those with no work experience numbered only 3,000, while those with work experience accounted for the majority at 147,000.

This suggests that the issue may be more related to job mismatches or a lack of quality jobs rather than companies' preference for hiring experienced workers. Kim Kwang-seok, Director at the Korea Economic Research Institute, explained, "As the scale of employment shrinks and more companies hire experienced workers, competition among experienced workers has become dominant," adding, "It seems that after the youth, the 'taking a break' phenomenon has now started among experienced workers."

The rising trend of 30-somethings 'taking a break' can be interpreted as a warning sign of declining vitality in the labor market. In fact, when the increase in youth 'taking a break' began in earnest, other employment indicators were favorable, but recently, overall indicators have weakened, with employment rates falling and unemployment rates rising.

Last month, the number of 'youth unemployed'?including those 'taking a break,' those preparing for employment after leaving the job market, and the unemployed?reached 1.2 million, an increase of 70,000 compared to the same month last year. The population of 15-29-year-olds 'taking a break' also exceeded 500,000 for the first time.

The bleak outlook is further compounded by the difficulty in expecting improvements in employment conditions anytime soon due to economic uncertainty. The manufacturing sector, considered the backbone of the Korean economy, is facing concerns over a slowdown as its key product, semiconductors, enters a seasonal off-season and becomes a target of protectionist policies by the U.S. Trump administration. Especially, major industries such as steel and automobiles are also under the impact of Trump's retaliatory tariffs, darkening the employment market outlook even more. Public sector jobs are unlikely to expand sufficiently due to the large-scale tax revenue shortfall pressure faced by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.