"It Was Completely Different After Joining"... Company Boldly Says "You Can Just Get Unemployment Benefits" After Dismissal Notice

#. After starting work as a sales staff member at a single fashion brand store, Ms. A was immediately assigned to manage the store operations for five different brands under the same group. Ms. A stated, "The abnormal work intensity has led to a high turnover rate, and the remaining employees have been saddled with even more work." She added, "When I raised concerns about the discrepancy between the job posting and the actual responsibilities, the company merely deleted the job posting without offering any solutions."

#. Mr. B, who was hired as a full-time employee, received a dismissal notice after completing a six-month probation period. When Mr. B refused the company's demand to extend the probation by another three months, the company responded that it would terminate the contract. Mr. B explained, "When I pointed out that this was not what was promised at the time of hiring, the company insisted it was not a dismissal but simply the end of the probation period, presenting me with an agreement titled 'voluntary resignation by mutual consent upon termination of the employment contract.' They even pressed me, saying, 'You can receive unemployment benefits, so isn't that fine?'"

Photo unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Getty Images Bank

원본보기 아이콘

As youth unemployment intensifies, cases of recruitment fraud-where job postings differ from the actual working conditions-are spreading. The higher the barrier to employment, the more young people become victims but are unable to raise issues, and critics point out that the institutional safety net is not functioning properly.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 17th, reports related to 'false job postings' increased from 365 cases in 2023, to 404 cases in 2024, and 416 cases in 2025. The youth unemployment rate in the first quarter of this year (January to March) was 7.4%, the highest since 2021. While the employment crisis remains unresolved, false job postings that deceive job seekers are on the rise.

Job seekers attending the '2025 Win-Win Cooperation Job Fair' held at Coex Magok in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, are undergoing interviews. Photo by Dongju Yoon

원본보기 아이콘

One reason recruitment fraud persists is that employers are in a position of power, compounded by information asymmetry. Job seekers have no choice but to rely on the limited information provided in job postings-such as working conditions and approximate salary. However, employers often have significant leeway to redefine job scope and conditions after hiring. In reality, especially in the early stages of employment or during the probation period, it is difficult for job seekers to raise concerns. Examples include cases like Ms. A, who was assigned additional duties not specified in the job posting, or Mr. B, whose employment terms were changed after joining.

원본보기 아이콘

The government has also stepped up efforts to crack down, but progress remains slow. An official from the Ministry of Labor explained, "We are working to establish a job platform monitoring system to filter out false job postings," adding, "Since the relevant law is still at the proposal stage, it will take time before it is actually implemented." A bill prohibiting 'blind recruitment postings,' which would require companies to clearly disclose working conditions such as wages and job scope at the recruitment stage, was introduced last year but remains stalled in the National Assembly.

There are growing calls to expand the Recruitment Procedures Act to address the structural opacity at the hiring stage. Jeong Hyeoncheol, secretary-general of Job Scam 119, pointed out, "When the job market becomes rigid, recruitment fraud-where companies require work different from what was posted-intensifies, especially at small and micro businesses where such cases are common." He added, "Because the penalties under the current law are not severe, many job seekers simply let it go. The Recruitment Procedures Act, which currently applies only to businesses with 30 or more employees, should be expanded to cover all workplaces through legislative amendment."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.