"Vacation Isn't Even an Option"... Job Seekers Giving Up Summer Breaks Due to COVID-19 Concerns

58.9% of Job Seekers Give Up Summer Vacation
"Fear of Infection" Tops Reasons at 74%
41% Cite "Financial Burden" as Main Cause

Choi, a 29-year-old job seeker in his second year of preparing for employment, gave up on taking a summer vacation early this year, just as he did last year. He had planned a two-day, one-night trip, but decided against it due to concerns about contracting COVID-19. If he were to test positive, he would have to give up on getting a job altogether. Choi said, "No matter what happens this year, I have to succeed in getting a job, so I decided not to even think about taking a vacation," adding, "I plan to escape the heat by spending time in the library with the air conditioning."

The number of "vacation quitters"-job seekers who give up on taking vacations-like Choi is increasing. According to a survey conducted by the job search platform AlbaCheonguk of 820 university students and job seekers, about 58.9%, or roughly six out of ten, said they had no plans to take a summer vacation. This is 13.1 percentage points higher than the same survey last year. The most common reason cited was "to comply with social distancing due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19" (73.7%, multiple responses allowed), followed by "original plans were canceled due to stricter social distancing measures" (41.6%).

Some are canceling plans they had already made. Choi Jinyoung (26, alias), another job seeker, said, "To refresh myself, I was planning a trip to Gangneung, Gangwon Province, with a close friend, splitting up our time," adding, "I want to go before the job market heats up in the second half of the year, but I'm worried about COVID-19, so I'm debating whether to cancel or to just spend time in the accommodation eating takeout from famous local restaurants."

Economic reasons also play a role. In the AlbaCheonguk survey, 41% of respondents said they gave up on a summer vacation because "the costs are burdensome." Other responses included "it's difficult to adjust my part-time job schedule" (15.1%) and "I'm worried I might lose my part-time job if I take a vacation" (10.8%). According to a survey by the job matching platform Saramin of 1,498 job seekers, two out of five said they are currently "in debt."

Lee (31), another job seeker, said, "I was looking into taking a trip to Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, but gave up when I found out that a one-night stay at a pension cost more than 500,000 won," adding, "I was looking for places with fewer confirmed cases and closer to home than Jeju or the East Coast, but they were much more expensive than I expected, and even then, there were no vacancies in August, so I couldn't even make a reservation."

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