"Instead of Visiting Relatives, Going to Study Cafes" Job Seekers' 'Worries' Even During Holidays

7 out of 10 Job Seekers to Skip Family Gatherings This Chuseok
62.2% (1,409) Plan Job Hunting During the Holiday
Experts: "Youth Suffering Index Hits Record High Due to COVID-19 and More... Assistance Needed"

Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, examinees preparing to become police officers are attending a lecture at a police academy in Noryangjin, Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] "Plans for the holidays? I have to prepare for employment. Where would I go?"

Kim (28), a job seeker who has been preparing for employment for two years, said, "These days, with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causing companies to reduce hiring, who would go to enjoy the Chuseok holiday?" He added, "The job market is getting tougher. I plan to go all-in this second half of the year." Kim also said, "Because of COVID-19, going back to my hometown is considered unfilial, and I think it would be even more unfilial if an unemployed job seeker shows up," adding, "Also, the government is asking people to refrain from visiting their hometowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so I don't feel the need to go."

As the COVID-19 situation has frozen the hiring market, many job seekers have decided to continue their job search instead of going back to their hometowns during the Chuseok holiday. With the job market tightening, they are giving up the holiday to intensify their job search efforts. Experts are concerned that the pain experienced by job seekers is growing even more severe amid soaring youth perceived unemployment rates.

According to a survey, 7 out of 10 job seekers are expected to skip family gatherings this Chuseok.

Job portal JobKorea conducted a survey on the 23rd targeting 1,022 job seekers and employees, asking about their attendance at Chuseok family gatherings. As a result, 65.9% of respondents said they would not attend this year's Chuseok gatherings. Compared to last year's survey, the percentage of those not attending family gatherings increased by about 15 percentage points.

In particular, more job seekers feel that this Chuseok is different compared to last year. This seems to be due to social distancing measures caused by COVID-19 and instability in the job market.

According to a recent survey by Saramin of 2,266 job seekers about their plans for job searching during this Chuseok holiday, 3 out of 5 (62.2%) said they plan to continue job searching without taking a break during the holiday.

The main reasons were △'Hiring has decreased due to COVID-19, so I can't afford to miss any opportunity' (64.6%), followed by △'I can't relax anyway' (37.9%), △'I have to stay home because of COVID-19' (32.4%), and △'I'm anxious about when job postings for my target companies will appear due to rolling recruitment' (22.9%). As the economic situation worsened due to COVID-19, companies' hiring has significantly decreased, intensifying the pressure on job seekers.

More job seekers are choosing to continue their job search activities without returning to their hometowns during the Chuseok holiday. Photo by Yonhap News

Given this situation, some job seekers plan to go to study rooms or study cafes during the holiday to prepare for employment. They cannot relax because they do not know when company job postings will be released. On online communities such as job cafes, posts titled "Going to a study cafe during Chuseok" have appeared.

The author said, "Many study cafes are open even on Chuseok day, so I plan to go there to study as needed," adding, "There were limits to studying in my studio apartment, so I'm glad there are places open on holidays. The company I am targeting is currently recruiting on a rolling basis, so I can't afford to let my guard down."

The employment crisis is worsening in conjunction with the COVID-19 aftermath. According to the supplementary survey on youth (ages 15-29) from the 'May 2020 Economically Active Population Survey' released by Statistics Korea in July, the number of unemployed this year was 1.66 million, a 7.7% increase compared to 1.541 million in the same month last year.

In particular, the proportion of unemployed people in their late 20s among the total unemployed in Korea has been the highest among OECD countries for seven consecutive years. According to OECD statistics, in 2018, the proportion of unemployed aged 25-29 among all unemployed in Korea was 21.6%, the highest among the 36 OECD member countries. This phenomenon continues to this day.

Experts pointed out that the government and companies need to create various opportunities for youth.

Professor Kim Taeg-gi of Dankook University's Department of Economics said, "The current youth perceived unemployment rate has risen to 27%. The number of unemployed people without jobs is increasing," expressing concern, "With COVID-19 added, the pain index for youth is expected to be at its highest." He continued, "Companies are either not hiring at all or reducing their hiring scale," adding, "The only way is for companies to invest and increase hiring. For this, the government must provide substantial support."

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