"1.15 Million People Doing Part-Time Jobs After College Graduation, a Record High"

Part-time Workers with College Degrees or Higher Increase for 15 Consecutive Years
"Impact of Job Diversification and Preference for Multiple Jobs" Analyzed

The number of people working as part-time workers, such as through part-time jobs, even after graduating from university or graduate school, has reached an all-time high.

According to the Statistics Korea's "Supplementary Survey on Employment Types of Economically Active Population" on the 29th, the number of part-time workers with a college degree or higher in August this year was 1,156,000.

This is an increase of 79,000 from last year and the highest level since related statistics were first compiled in 2003. Among middle school graduates or below, high school graduates, and college graduates or above, the proportion of college graduates or above also recorded an all-time high at 29.8%.

The number of part-time workers with a college degree or higher has been increasing for 15 consecutive years, from 246,000 in August 2008 to 303,000 the following year. Compared to 2009, this year’s figure has increased by 281.5%. Compared to the total number of non-regular workers with a college degree or higher, which rose from 1,652,000 to 3,035,000 during the same period, an increase of 83.7%, this is a steep growth.

Analysts suggest that this phenomenon is influenced by the diversification of job types and work forms. A significant number of college-educated workers have entered professions such as private academy instructors, health trainers, and Pilates instructors.

A woman working part-time at a convenience store [Image source=Yonhap News]

A Statistics Korea official explained the increase in part-time workers in their 20s by saying, “Considering where a significant portion of people in their 20s mainly work recently, those patterns are reflected in the statistics.” He added, “In particular, there has been an increase in education fields such as private tutoring and academy instructors, arts and sports fields such as trainers, and accommodation and food service industries.”

There is also an analysis that the preference for so-called ‘N-jobbers,’ who do not stick to a fixed workplace but hold multiple jobs, has influenced the increase in part-time workers.

By age group, the number of part-time workers in their 20s reached 737,000 this year, an increase of 29,000 from last year, marking an all-time high. This accounts for 19% of all part-time workers.

This is the second largest increase after those aged 60 and above (138,000). The numbers for those in their 50s and 40s increased by 24,000 and 80,000 respectively, while those in their 30s and teens decreased by 10,000 and 3,000 respectively.

This is analyzed to be related to the increase in part-time workers with a college degree or higher. A Statistics Korea official explained, “With higher education levels than in the past, people in their 20s and 30s tend to have college degrees or higher, while those in their 40s and 50s tend to be high school graduates, and those aged 60 and above tend to be middle school graduates or below, showing age-specific characteristics.”

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