Will Employment Be Blocked Again... Youths Cry Twice Over COVID-19 Resurgence

Cold Hiring Freeze Expected in Second Half
Job Seekers Giving Up or Increasing Preparation for Certifications and Graduate School

This Year's Real Estate Agent License Exam
Many Applicants in Their 20s and 30s

College Students Demand Measures Like Tuition Reduction
Due to Second Semester Online Classes

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Job seeker Kim Young-jin (31, pseudonym) has been sighing more frequently as the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has surged again recently. He has been preparing for employment at a large corporation for three years, but with the resurgence of COVID-19, it is obvious that the hiring freeze will continue in the second half of the year. Among job seekers, there is also an increasing number of people who are giving up on employment altogether and preparing for certification exams such as real estate agent or certified public accountant (CPA), or planning to enter graduate school. Kim said, "I am considering whether it might be better in the long term to prepare for professional exams rather than joining a company below my expectations."

As COVID-19 enters a phase of re-expansion, more job seekers are facing career dilemmas. Economic conditions are worsening, and due to concerns about group infections, recruitment is being postponed or canceled, prompting many to turn their attention to certifications or professional careers. Reflecting this mindset among job seekers, this year’s real estate agent certification exam saw the highest number of applicants ever, with many examinees in their 20s and 30s. According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea on the 25th, 362,754 candidates registered for the '31st Real Estate Agent Certification Exam' from the 10th to the 19th of this month, an increase of 64,527 from last year. The number of applicants in their 20s, which had remained in the 30,000s, exceeded 40,000 for this exam, and those in their 30s increased by more than 20,000 from last year, reaching 104,508.

The Law School Admission Test (LEET) also saw a record number of applicants. For the 2021 academic year, 12,244 candidates applied for the LEET, about 10% more than last year. Considering that the nationwide law school admission quota is about 2,000, more than six times the number of people took the exam.

However, job seekers who find it difficult even to turn their attention to professional careers are feeling even more anxious. With their livelihoods uncertain, they need to find employment immediately, but recruitment announcements are nowhere to be found. Job seeker Park (30) said, "I am trying again for a company where I applied in the second half of last year and reached the final interview, but this year there are no recruitment announcements. To focus on job hunting, I need to quit my part-time job, but competition for part-time positions is fierce, so it’s hard to quit easily." According to a survey by the job portal Incruit of 530 listed companies, 57.2% of companies responded that they have plans to hire new university graduate employees in the second half of this year, a decrease of 9.6% compared to the second half of last year.

Not only job seekers but also university students are feeling anxious about the resurgence of COVID-19. Universities are revising academic policies to conduct classes online in the second semester as well, and it seems that the use of school facilities such as libraries will still be unavailable. Proper university life has become impossible, but there is no news of tuition reductions. Lee (21), a student at Kyung Hee University, lamented, "The school or government should come up with measures for students who are suffering due to COVID-19." Kim (26), who will graduate after this semester, said, "I need to use facilities like the library reading room for job hunting, but since even that is not allowed, isn’t a tuition reduction only natural?"

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