[New Word Dictionary] Mujeonmu-eop (無錢無業) - Getting a Job to Earn Money? You Need Money to Get a Job!

Mujeonmujeop (無錢無業) means that without money, one cannot get a job, and it is a self-deprecating expression referring to the excessive costs involved in accumulating qualifications during the job preparation process. Illustration by Seongsu Oh

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Among job seekers, five types of specs are considered basic requirements. They explain that without having a university degree, TOEIC scores, language study abroad experience, internship experience, and awards in contests, it is difficult to even pass the document screening stage. Recently, as the demand for IT personnel increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, IT certifications such as computer proficiency and information processing technician have gained popularity and established themselves as another essential spec. According to a survey conducted by the job portal Saramin in November last year targeting 2,000 job seekers, the average annual cost of job preparation per person was 3.48 million KRW, which is double the 1.75 million KRW in 2008. In the same place’s survey on job preparation costs conducted in July, more than half (63%, multiple responses allowed) answered that the reason for the increase in job preparation costs was “increased anxiety due to the difficulty of finding a job,” followed by “to build one more spec due to intense competition” (44.6%) and “increased tuition and textbook prices” (26.1%). The area where job seekers spend the most money is obtaining certifications, and certifications are also the item they feel the most burdened by. In another survey conducted last year, 81.9% of 2,122 job seekers responded that economic power affects successful employment.

“Mujeonmu-eop (無錢無業)” means that without money, one cannot get a job, and it is a self-deprecating expression referring to the excessive costs incurred in the job preparation process due to over-accumulating specs. The Italian novel of the same name, which depicts the “1000 Euro Generation” in Europe similar to Korea’s “880,000 Won Generation,” realistically portrays the frustration of young people struggling with employment difficulties and attracted attention. The author of the novel, who graduated from the prestigious Milan Polytechnic University’s Department of Architecture, lamented that he had not been able to get a full-time job for 10 years. When applying for an architectural technician job, internship experience at an architectural office is essential, but those positions are already reserved for the children of influential people, so job seekers without money or connections are blocked from opportunities from the very beginning of the employment process. While the worries of global job seekers deepen, the costs required for employment have soared even more. According to a survey conducted by JobKorea on the 23rd of this month targeting 820 job seekers, the average monthly cost of job preparation was about 443,768 KRW. More than half of the respondents (56.4%) said they cover these costs through part-time jobs, followed by allowances from parents (20.6%) and savings they had previously accumulated (14.8%). Meanwhile, an official from an online recruitment company predicted, “As it becomes harder to get a job, job seekers tend to focus more on certifications for building specs, and with the recent decrease in corporate hiring, preparation costs will increase further.”

Example

A: How did the place you sent your resume to last month turn out? Did you get any contact?
B: Yeah, I went to the interview but got rejected immediately. When I talked with others in the waiting room, everyone had top-tier specs.
A: Right? It’s already tough just to graduate from university, so when do they go abroad for language study, keep their grades up, do volunteer work, and internships? And who can just win awards? Contests are like a battlefield.
B: One friend who went in with me even gets skin care. They say appearance is also part of the specs. Do you think I can really get a job in this lifetime?
A: It’s the mujeonmu-eop era. Still, we have to find what only we can do. Let’s keep going. Fighting!

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