90% of Job Growth for People in Their 20s Last Year Was Short-Term Part-Time Work... 'Idaenam' Faces Employment Freeze

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Son Sun-hee] Last year, nine out of ten jobs added for young people in their 20s were short-term positions. In particular, the so-called 'Idaenam (men in their 20s)' saw a decrease in the number of people employed in stable jobs working 36 hours or more per week compared to 2020, when the employment shock caused by COVID-19 hit. Although the government has self-assessed that the employment market has 'recovered to pre-COVID-19 crisis levels,' critics point out that while the number of employed persons superficially increased, quality jobs for young people entering society for the first time were severely lacking.

On the 19th, Asia Economy analyzed microdata from the 2020-2021 Economically Active Population Survey by Statistics Korea and found that among the 105,400 jobs added for people in their 20s last year, about 90%, or 94,000 jobs, were short-term jobs with only 0 to 35 working hours per week. The number of employed persons working 36 hours or more per week increased by only 11,400.

Moreover, this increase was influenced by a rise of 18,800 employed women in their 20s working 36 hours or more per week, while the number of men in their 20s employed in quality jobs decreased by 7,400 compared to 2020. In effect, the net increase in quality job employment was entirely accounted for by women in their 20s.

Compared to other age groups, the employment recovery gap by gender was particularly stark among people in their 20s. Among the increase in jobs for people in their 20s, women accounted for 83% (87,000), while men accounted for only 17% (18,400). Considering that the female population in their 20s decreased by 8,000 last year compared to 2020, while the male population increased by 8,000, the actual employment gap was likely even larger. The employment rate for women in their 20s improved by 2.8 percentage points (from 56.8% to 59.6%) from 2020 to 2021, whereas for men it increased by only 0.4 percentage points (from 54.7% to 55.1%). The warmth of employment recovery did not reach men in their 20s.

Looking at employment numbers by industry, women in their 20s saw significant increases in the information and communications sector (57,000) and professional, scientific, and technical services (24,900). This includes jobs at IT companies such as Naver and Kakao, as well as related research and development (R&D) personnel. Depending on the content nature, some YouTuber creators are also included. In the information and communications sector, the number of jobs for men in their 20s actually decreased, making it the field with the largest gap in employment growth between men and women.

The industries where men in their 20s were most employed were manufacturing (23,900), transportation and warehousing (19,400), and wholesale and retail trade (14,000). In particular, employment in wholesale and retail trade and transportation increased significantly more for men than for women, including platform workers such as delivery drivers.

A Statistics Korea official explained, "Since the COVID-19 outbreak, as non-face-to-face industries expanded, youth employment recovery last year was centered around these sectors," adding, "In the information and communications sector, where employment recovery was strong, the number of employed women increased significantly."

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