"Need to Prepare for Employment..." COVID-19 Cases Confirmed at TOEIC Academy... Job Seekers 'Anxious'

Seoul Large TOEIC Academy Staff Confirmed Positive on 10th
Job Seekers "Worried About Impact on Language and Certification Exams"
Worsening Employment Market... Employment Declines for Three Consecutive Months
Experts "Youth Employment Impact Expected... Need for Supplementary Measures"

On the afternoon of the 16th of last month, TOEIC test takers entered a high school in Seongdong-gu, Seoul after a temperature check. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] "Will I get a job?", "I’m so anxious because I can’t afford to have a gap period."

As a confirmed case of COVID-19 has occurred at the largest TOEIC academy in Gangnam, Seoul, anxiety among job seekers is growing. This is because the job market has frozen due to the impact of COVID-19, and sporadic infections continue mainly in the metropolitan area, including language academies.

As a result, many job seekers are expressing concerns about the decreasing chances of employment or complaining that they expect difficulties in preparing for jobs. Experts emphasized that the deterioration of the youth employment market may continue and that government-level measures should be prepared accordingly.

On the 10th, it was reported that employee A of a subsidiary at Hackers Language Academy Gangnam Station Campus near Gangnam Station was confirmed positive for COVID-19. It was identified that A showed symptoms such as fever and sore throat the day before (on the 9th).

The language academy explained on its homepage that day, "One programmer (developer) was confirmed positive, so as a preventive measure, we plan to disinfect all Hackers buildings (including all annexes) today through a professional disinfection company," adding, "The person works in a separate office not using the Hackers academy, and although the health authorities did not instruct to suspend classes, we will take all safety measures."

The academy is currently operating normally. Meanwhile, job seekers attending language and qualification exam academies for graduation or employment purposes are voicing their anxiety. There is concern that if confirmed cases continue to occur at academies, closure orders may be issued for academies and test centers, which could affect job preparation.

On the afternoon of the 16th of last month, a TOEIC test taker was undergoing a temperature check before entering a high school in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

A (27), who is preparing for employment after graduating from university, said, "When I see job postings, I definitely feel that fewer people are being hired compared to last year," adding, "So, besides getting a job, I feel pressured that I can’t just leave a gap period as it is."

A said, "When attending job fairs, I always heard that 'you can’t have a gap period,'" and added, "Of course, this situation is a disaster that all citizens are experiencing, so it’s different, but later in the job market, it will inevitably be a point of comparison. That’s why academies or test centers must not be closed."

B (25), a university student about to graduate this semester, also said, "When the COVID-19 situation was severe before, didn’t the exams stop temporarily?" and lamented, "I have to get a TOEIC score to graduate, but I can’t not attend the academy, so I’m very worried."

B added, "When I tried to get a computer utilization certificate, most of the applications were already closed. Everyone is attending academies and getting certificates, so I can’t just do nothing," adding, "Of course, I’m worried about getting infected, but the reality of graduation and employment is right in front of me, so that feels even bigger."

Due to the impact of COVID-19, the employment market has worsened, and the number of employed people has decreased for three consecutive months.

According to Statistics Korea’s 'May 2020 Employment Trends' released on the 10th, the number of unemployed people last month was 1,278,000, an increase of 133,000 compared to the same month last year. This is the largest scale for May since statistics began in 1999. The number of employed people in May was 26.93 million, a decrease of 392,000 compared to the same month last year.

Also, the population who gave up job seeking despite having the ability to work, called the 'resting' population, showed a large increase. Last month, the non-economically active population was 16.548 million, an increase of 555,000 (3.5%) compared to the same month last year, while the economically active population was 28.209 million, a decrease of 259,000 (-0.9%) during the same period. The 'resting' population surged especially among people in their 20s (105,000, 32.8%) who are about to enter the job market.

On the 9th, 451 suspected contacts including students, instructors, and staff of 'Gangnam Daesung Academy (Songpa)' were tested for COVID-19 at a temporary screening clinic in front of 'Gangnam Daesung Academy (Songpa)' in Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Experts suggested that supplementary measures should be prepared for unemployed youth who are easily excluded.

Han Yosep, a research fellow at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), explained in the report 'Current Status and Policy Suggestions on Youth Employment' released on the 6th of last month, "Since February, youth employment has rapidly contracted, especially in some service industries, due to the direct impact of the COVID-19 crisis."

He added, "The impact of the spread of infection worldwide, including Europe and the United States, since mid-March has not yet been reflected, and employment shocks are expected to appear in earnest after the second quarter," analyzing, "The negative impact of the foreign exchange crisis or the global financial crisis on youth employment has been found to last a lifetime. It lasted more than 10 years."

He emphasized, "Since the youth are the future generation supporting the aging population, there is a high need for social consideration to accumulate human capital and work experience," and "Youth who remain unemployed after graduation are easily excluded, so supplementary measures are required."

Meanwhile, health authorities expressed concerns about the possibility of a large-scale outbreak in the metropolitan area and repeatedly urged compliance with quarantine rules.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a regular briefing held at the Osong Disease Control Headquarters in Chungbuk on the 10th, "Recently, continuous cluster infections have been spreading mainly in the densely populated metropolitan area," adding, "If we fail to break this chain, the possibility of a large-scale outbreak cannot be ruled out, so it is a cautious situation."

Jung added, "Many countries are seeing a resurgence of outbreaks as they ease 'social distancing' or 'social lockdowns,'" and "In Korea, as we switched to 'distancing in daily life' (living quarantine), cluster outbreaks continue mainly in the metropolitan area, making us realize again how difficult it is to establish and institutionalize quarantine rules in daily life."

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