The Company Young People Hate Most... "Places That Don't Keep Regular Working Hours"

Survey of 8,353 Born in 1999
Commute Inconvenience, Low Salary, and Avoidance of Non-Regular Jobs

(Data provided by Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training)

The job that young people avoid the most is a "company that does not adhere to fixed working hours," according to a survey. There was also significant aversion to companies that do not observe a five-day workweek.

On the 6th, the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training announced the results of the 'Korean Education and Employment Panel Survey II (2020)', which investigated job characteristics that young people born in 1999 (third-year university students in 2020) considered undesirable for employment or reasons for resignation, surveying 8,353 individuals.

Using statements like "I do not want to work at a company that does not ~," employment preferences were measured on a four-point scale, and an average score exceeding 2.5 out of 4 was interpreted as a condition that discourages employment.

The analysis showed that the most avoided job condition among young people was working at a company that does not adhere to fixed working hours (2.94 points).

Irregular working hours were the most disliked job condition regardless of gender or educational background. Over 75% of respondents answered "strongly agree" to the statement "I do not want to work at a company where working hours are not well observed."

By gender, women showed 9.0 percentage points higher aversion than men, and by education level, students at general universities showed higher aversion than those at vocational colleges and high school graduates.

The next most cited condition was an "uncomfortable commuting environment." Aversion to companies with inconvenient commutes was highest in Seoul, Jeonnam, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Chungnam, in that order. Despite developed transportation in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, strong aversion to inconvenient commutes is interpreted as due to population overcrowding.

The Vocational Research Institute explained, "Valuing commuting convenience does not necessarily mean a desire to work in urban or metropolitan areas," but rather "it seems to reflect a preference for shorter commuting times and convenient transportation environments."

Young people also avoided companies where "the salary is below expectations." The higher the education level and the greater the aversion to below-standard salaries, the higher the reservation wage (the minimum wage level they want to receive) appeared.

The group with the lowest reservation wage was "high school graduates willing to work even if the salary is below expectations," averaging 1.91 million KRW per month (based on the 2020 survey).

The group with the highest reservation wage was "general university students unwilling to work if the salary is below the standard," averaging 2.44 million KRW per month.

Aversion to non-regular employment remained high. More than 60% of respondents in all majors except arts and physical education showed aversion to non-regular jobs.

In the medical, natural sciences, and engineering fields, aversion to non-regular employment was higher compared to other fields, while the arts and physical education fields showed the lowest aversion.

There was also considerable aversion to companies that do not observe a five-day workweek.

Unlike the previous conditions, 48% of respondents answered "strongly disagree" to the statement "I will not work at a company that does not have a five-day workweek," indicating a relatively higher tolerance.

Choi Suhyun, a senior researcher at the Vocational Research Institute, pointed out, "A work environment that does not maintain work-life balance can act as a deterrent for young people to either not seek employment or to leave even if employed," adding, "The reason young people avoid employment at small and medium-sized enterprises is likely because these jobs meet all five major conditions that young people avoid."

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