"Number of Youths Saying 'No Suitable Jobs' Surges 43%... One in Three Young People Left Wandering"

Analysis of Economically Active Population Survey Statistics
Sharp Rise in Proportion of Inactive Youth
Inactive Rate Among Those in Their Twenties Soared to 7.9% in February
Young People Say "No Desired Jobs Available"
"Years of Exper

The severity of the "inactive youth" issue-referring to young people who are neither working nor seeking jobs-has grown significantly over the past decade. The proportion of people in their 20s classified as inactive has surged from around 4% ten years ago to 7.9% recently. Cases of young people reporting that they are inactive due to a lack of suitable jobs have jumped by more than 43% in the past four years. Experts advise that in order to address this,the inactive population should be subdivided for tailored policy responses, and specialized support personnel should be trained.

Job seekers attending the '2025 Win-Win Cooperation Job Fair' held last month at COEX Magok in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, are checking the job postings.

Inactive Rate Among People in Their 20s Soars to Over 7%

According to an analysis by The Asia Business Daily on November 21 of ten years’ worth of Economically Active Population Survey data (2015-2024) from the National Statistical Portal (KOSIS), the proportion of inactive youth (ages 15-29), including those in their 20s, has increased more rapidly than in other age groups. "Inactive" refers to those who are neither working nor looking for work, and they are classified as part of the economically inactive population, along with those engaged in childcare or housework.

By age group, the proportion of inactive youth relative to the total population rose from 3.3% in 2015 to 5.2% last year, an increase of 1.9 percentage points. Among those in their 20s, the rate climbed sharply from 4.4% to 6.6%, a rise of 2.2 percentage points. While other age groups also saw increases over time, their overall proportions remained relatively low. As of last year, the rates for those in their 30s (4.4%), 40s (3.5%), and 50s (4.5%) all remained below 5%.

The situation has deteriorated further this year. As of last month, the inactive rate among youth remained at 5.2%, the same as last year, but in February, when the number of inactive youth peaked at 504,000, the rate reached 6.3%. Focusing on those in their 20s, the rate rose from 6.8% in January to 7.1% in October, surpassing the 7% mark. This represents an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to last year. In February, the number of inactive people in their 20s reached 460,000, sending the rate soaring to 7.9%.

The growing number of cases where young people are inactive due to the lack of suitable jobs is also a cause for concern. According to KOSIS data on reasons for inactivity in August over the past four years (2022-2025), the number of young people citing "difficulty finding the desired job (or work)" as the reason for their inactivity jumped 43.4%, from 106,000 in 2022 to 152,000 this year. The proportion of respondents giving this answer also rose from 27.7% to 34.1%. This means that one in three inactive youth are adrift because they cannot find a job.

"Tailored Policies Needed... Training of Specialized Personnel Also Essential"

In September, the government announced comprehensive measures to address these problems. On a pan-government level, they plan to build a database of unemployed youth to identify those struggling in the long term and to introduce a variety of support programs and expand work experience opportunities. Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Younghoon stated at a press briefing the previous day, "It is important to proactively reach out to inactive youth and extend a helping hand to them first."

Experts point out that the issue of inactivity is not limited to a subset of youth but is a widespread problem. They also note that the age at which inactivity begins is getting younger and the duration is increasing, calling for more proactive measures. Furthermore, they emphasize that supporting these young people is not only an investment in reducing social costs, but also a way to nurture a core pillar for national growth in the long term.

Kim Yubin, Director of the Employment Policy Research Division at the Korea Labor Institute, who has long studied youth employment, commented, "The range of inactivity is too broad to be viewed as a single category," and added, "It is necessary to make efforts to break down the inactive population into more detailed segments." He further explained, "It is important to better understand how inactivity is distributed by characteristic and what policy needs exist for each group, but we have not yet reached that stage."

The Korea Employment Information Service, in its report "Survey on the Actual Status of Inactive Youth" published in May, suggested that "training specialized personnel to support inactive youth is necessary." The report pointed out, "There appears to be a shortage of professional counselors in Korea to support inactive youth who lack work motivation," and emphasized, "It takes years of expert observation and assistance for inactive youth to transition to the labor market and adapt to society."