"Even Part-Time Jobs Are Hard to Get" Employment Market Hit Hard by COVID-19... Part-Time Work Also Extremely Competitive

8 out of 10 Companies "Conduct Hiring Only on an Ongoing Basis in the First Half"
2.36 Million People Taking 'Just a Break' Due to COVID-19, a Record High

On the 17th, citizens were looking at the posts in front of the employment bulletin board at Seongdong-gu Office in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] # Job seeker Kim (28) is very worried about the repeatedly postponed recruitment schedules. Kim said, "I was planning to submit my application for the financial company's first half-year open recruitment. But I heard it was postponed due to COVID-19," adding, "I was going to do part-time work to make a living. However, the competition rate for even one part-time job was so fierce that I couldn't even try." She continued, "I had been aiming for the first half-year open recruitment, but now that the goal is gone, I feel empty. I don't know what to do or what I should be doing right now."

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), companies' recruitment schedules have been postponed one after another, increasing the number of young people seeking short-term jobs. However, since even those are hard to find, the so-called 'resting' population who give up on employment is growing. The 'resting' population refers to people who are capable of working but choose not to work because they want to rest vaguely. As the employment shock becomes a reality, the government plans to soon announce employment stabilization measures.

Most companies are focusing on irregular recruitment and reducing open recruitment. According to a survey conducted by the job search platform 'Saramin' on the recruitment plans for the first half of the year among 428 companies, 78.7% (337 companies) of the respondents said they would conduct recruitment only through irregular hiring during the first half of this year. Only 12.4% (53 companies) said they would use both irregular and open recruitment methods, and just 8.9% (38 companies) said they would recruit solely through open recruitment.

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

Despite the expansion of irregular recruitment, job seekers' concerns have not diminished. Large companies conduct large-scale hiring through open recruitment, so there are worries that the number of hires will effectively decrease if they switch to irregular recruitment.

Lee (27), a convenience store part-timer, said, "With all recruitment schedules postponed due to COVID-19, how can I get a job?" adding, "Even if they recruit, the competition is so fierce that I don't expect to be hired. I'm just glad to have a part-time job."

COVID-19 has also affected the part-time job market. Due to the impact of COVID-19, many stores have been temporarily closed or shut down entirely, making it difficult even to find short-term part-time jobs.

Kim (28), who has been a job seeker for two years after graduating from university, said, "Language tests have been postponed due to COVID-19. TOEIC scores or certifications are basic requirements in the job market, but since I can't take the exams, I can't even submit application documents," adding, "Even trying to earn living expenses through part-time jobs is difficult because it's hard to find part-time positions."

Given this situation, young people are giving up on employment. According to Statistics Korea on the 19th, the 'resting' population among the economically inactive population last month was 2.366 million, an increase of 366,000 (18.3%) compared to the same month last year. Both the number and the increase of the 'resting' population are the highest since statistics began in 2003. In particular, the 'resting' population among those in their 20s was 412,000, up 109,000 (35.8%) from the same month last year.

In response to this employment shock, the government is preparing countermeasures. Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, wrote on his Facebook on the 17th, "Although we anticipated the employment shock caused by COVID-19, receiving the actual results makes me feel a heavy sense of responsibility," emphasizing, "The government will do everything possible to protect even one more job for the people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.