"Applying Everywhere" Job Seekers Sigh Amid Ongoing 'Employment Drought'

Due to COVID-19 Impact, 'Employment Drought'... Job Seekers 'Restless'
6 out of 10 Job Seekers Express "No Confidence in Employment in the Second Half"
Experts Advise "Find Suitable Hobbies to Relieve Stress"

In the first half of 2020, candidates for the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) new employee recruitment written exam lined up on the 14th at Myongji College in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, waiting to have their temperatures checked before entering the exam hall. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Gayeon] # Job seeker A (27) has been facing many concerns lately. This is because companies have drastically reduced their recruitment scale for the first half of the year due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). A said, "For now, I am applying to all job postings regardless of the position as soon as they appear," but added, "Even large companies are hardly hiring, and small and medium-sized enterprises are also barely recruiting due to significant economic damage." She continued, "Compared to last year, the number of job postings seems to have decreased to less than one-third," and added, "I am not sure if I will be able to get a job this year."

As the COVID-19 situation continues, concerns among job seekers are growing. Many companies have canceled or scaled down their recruitment schedules due to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.

Job seekers complain that the job market has become more competitive not only because the number of openings has decreased but also because unemployed people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 are flooding the job market, raising the threshold for employment.

As a result, more job seekers are applying regardless of company size or job type.

On the 16th, job portal Saramin conducted a survey on 531 companies that are recruiting this year regarding the status of "blind applications" and found that 82.3% reported having "blind applicants." Among them, 40.5% of companies said that the number of applicants increased compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Among these, a considerable number of job seekers were found to be suffering from depression due to an uncertain future and other reasons.

On January 8th, students and job seekers visiting the 2020 Public Institution Recruitment Information Fair held at the aT Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, are waiting for recruitment-related consultations. Photo by Yonhap News

B (24), who graduated from university last February, said, "I feel very hopeless about when I will be able to get a job," adding, "I naturally think I have to get a job quickly. I believe this is a common thought among all job seekers."

B said, "The number of hires is small, but the number of job seekers, including college graduates and unemployed people, keeps increasing, so doesn't that mean the chances of getting a job are increasing? I am under so much stress every day that I have developed insomnia and only have nightmares even when I sleep," and lamented, "I don't even hope for the second half of this year. I am very scared that this situation will continue into next year."

According to job portal JobKorea on the 25th, six out of ten new job seekers answered that they are "not confident about getting a job in the second half of the year." They cited reasons such as "lack of qualifications compared to others" (63.0%), "expecting fiercer competition for jobs in the second half" (51.6%), and "companies likely reducing the scale of new graduate recruitment in the second half" (32.4%).

Among all respondents, 41.5% said that their stress preparing for employment in the second half is high. Those who answered "very high" accounted for 30% of the total. They identified the main causes of stress as "the pressure to get a job quickly" (36.1%) and "anxiety about not being able to get a job" (24.0%). In summary, they expressed stress caused by the ongoing "employment drought."

Experts suggest that it is important not to be overwhelmed by the current situation and to find personal ways to relieve stress.

Professor Kwak Geumju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University emphasized, "You need to overcome this by creating a lifestyle pattern that suits yourself, such as hobbies. You should find ways to relieve stress, like riding a bicycle, jogging to maintain health, listening to music, or reading books that can give you courage."

She added, "You should not follow what others do. It is important for each person to find hobbies or self-development activities that suit them and decide how to allocate their time and money. Only then can you endure for a long time and see effects such as alleviation of depression and stress."

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