"Even with Contract Experience, the Barrier to Full-Time Jobs Remains High"

Honam Statistics Office Releases August Employment Trends for Gwangju and Jeonnam
Young People Say, "The Door to Employment Has Opened, But It Doesn't Feel That Way"
Number of Employed Rises in Gwangju, but Self-Employment Declines in Both Gwangju a

The Honam Regional Statistics Office announced on the 10th the employment trends for August in Gwangju and Jeonnam, revealing that while the number of employed persons in Gwangju increased, the number of self-employed individuals decreased in both Gwangju and Jeonnam.

"I keep submitting applications, but it's not easy to even get an interview."

Kim, a job seeker in her twenties living in Buk-gu, Gwangju, spends more than half her day attending academy lectures and working part-time jobs. Just last month, she applied to more than ten companies, but only a few places accepted her application documents. She said, "Even when I see news about the number of employed people increasing, I don't really feel it. My friends are in the same situation."

There are many young people around university areas and private academies in Gwangju who, like Kim, have been preparing for employment for a long time. Study cafes are filled with public corporation exam books and certification materials, and in the evening, you can spot young people heading to their part-time jobs. People on the ground say, "The door to employment may have opened a bit wider, but the competition is still fierce."

Lee (31), whom we met at a study cafe in Dongmyeong-dong, Dong-gu, worked as a contract employee at a bank counter for about two years until her contract ended late last year. Now, she comes here every day to prepare for open recruitment. She said, "I thought my contract experience would help, but the door to a permanent position feels even narrower. As the preparation period gets longer, my living expenses are getting tighter, and it's becoming harder to keep going."

According to the employment trends for August in Gwangju and Jeonnam announced by the Honam Regional Statistics Office on the 10th, the number of employed people in Gwangju increased, but the number of self-employed decreased in both Gwangju and Jeonnam.

Contrary to these on-the-ground experiences, the statistics showed signs of improvement.

According to the employment trends for August in Gwangju and Jeonnam announced by the Honam Regional Statistics Office on September 10, the number of employed people aged 15 and older in Gwangju was 787,000, an increase of 20,000 (2.6%) compared to the same month last year. The employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 rose by 1.5 percentage points to 66.8%. Increases were seen in business, personal, and public services (+16,000 people, 4.8%), electricity, transportation, communications, and finance (+7,000 people, 7.6%), and construction (+5,000 people, 8.1%). However, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-6,000 people, 24.9%) and manufacturing and mining (-4,000 people, 3.7%) saw decreases.

The number of unemployed people in Gwangju was 18,000, a decrease of 3,000, and the unemployment rate dropped by 0.5 percentage points to 2.2%. However, the number of self-employed individuals was 139,000, a decrease of 10,000 (6.5%) compared to the same month last year.

In Jeonnam, both the number of employed people and the number of self-employed people decreased. The number of employed people was 1,004,000, a decrease of 8,000 (0.8%) year-on-year, and the employment rate fell by 0.6 percentage points to 66.0%. There were increases in electricity, transportation, communications, and finance (+15,000 people, 22.3%), business, personal, and public services (+9,000 people, 2.6%), and manufacturing and mining (+7,000 people, 7.0%). However, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (-21,000 people, 10.0%), wholesale and retail, accommodation, and food services (-16,000 people, 8.5%), and construction (-2,000 people, 2.8%) all saw decreases.

The number of unemployed people in Jeonnam was 22,000, an increase of 2,000, and the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 2.1%. The number of self-employed individuals was 288,000, a decrease of 13,000 (4.3%) compared to the same month last year.