Chungnam's Youth Population Declines for 3 Years... Increased Migration to Seoul Metropolitan Area Due to Employment and Other Reasons

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The youth population in the Chungnam region has been on a decline for three consecutive years. Analysis shows that the number of young people leaving the region each year for reasons such as employment is increasing. The youth population mainly headed toward the Seoul metropolitan area.

On the 15th, Chungnam Province announced the ‘2022 Chungnam Youth Statistics’ containing this information. The youth statistics were surveyed and compiled based on six sectors?population and households, economy, jobs, startups, welfare, and health?targeting youth aged 19 to 39 residing in Chungnam as of November 1 of last year.

The youth population recorded in the youth statistics last year was 574,978. This accounts for 26.4% of Chungnam’s total population. In other words, about 2.6 out of every 10 people in the region are youth.

The trend over the past three years shows a clear decrease in the youth population. The youth population decreased from 619,382 in 2019 to 593,352 in 2020. Last year, it further declined by 44,404 compared to the previous year.

Considering that the total population of Chungnam also decreased during the same period?from 2,188,649 in 2019 to 2,176,636 in 2020 (-12,013), and 2,175,960 in 2021 (-676)?the decline in the youth population is even more pronounced.

In fact, the proportion of youth population relative to the total population dropped nearly 2 percentage points over the past three years, from 28.3% in 2019 to 27.3% in 2020, and 26.4% in 2021.

The province cites the main reason for the decrease in youth population as the increasing number of young people leaving the region for employment.

As of last year, the number of youth moving into Chungnam from other cities and provinces was 58,923, while those moving out was 61,106.

According to the province’s survey, these youths cited ‘job (employment)’ as the primary reason for moving out, and the main destination and origin regions were the Seoul metropolitan area.

Last year, the number of employed youth within the region was 363,000 in the first half and 379,000 in the second half. The employment rate was 63.0% in the first half, lower than the national average of 64.6%. However, in the second half, the employment rate rose to 66.5%, slightly exceeding the national average of 66.1%.

By occupation, workers in the skilled, machine operation, and assembly fields accounted for the largest share, with 27.2% in the first half and 25.1% in the second half. This was followed by managers and professionals at 21.2% in the first half, and office workers at 21.2% in the second half.

The most desired job category among youth job seekers was management, accounting, and office-related positions at 30.2%, and the most common desired monthly wage was between 2 million and less than 2.5 million KRW at 33.8%.

While 80.8% of youth job seekers hoped to work and be employed within the region, the province found that the younger the age group, the higher the proportion wishing to work outside the region.

Meanwhile, the province plans to utilize the youth statistics to understand the actual conditions of local youth and to establish ‘customized youth policies’ aimed at improving the quality of life for young people.

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