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Amid the worsening youth employment crisis, cases of recruitment fraud-where the actual working conditions differ from those in job postings-are spreading. As it becomes harder to get hired, more young people fall victim but are unable to raise issues, and there are increasing concerns that institutional safeguards are failing to function properly.

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According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on April 17, reports related to 'false job postings' have increased from 365 cases in 2023, to 404 in 2024, and 416 in 2025. The youth unemployment rate for 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.

The repeated occurrence of recruitment fraud is rooted not only in employers' superior bargaining position, but also in information asymmetry. Job seekers can only rely on the limited information provided in job postings, such as working conditions and approximate salary. However, employers have considerable room to redefine the scope of work and conditions after hiring. Especially in the early days of employment or during probation, it is often difficult for new employees to raise complaints. Cases such as Employee A's, where additional responsibilities not specified in the posting are assigned, or Employee B's, where employment conditions are changed, are prime examples.

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The government is also tightening its crackdown, but progress is slow. An official from the Ministry of Labor stated, "We have begun establishing a monitoring system for recruitment platforms to filter out false job postings," adding, "Since the law has only been proposed, it will still take time before it is implemented." A bill prohibiting 'blind' job postings-requiring clear disclosure of working conditions such as wages and work scope during the recruitment process-was introduced last year, but it remains stalled in the National Assembly.

There are growing calls to expand the Fair Hiring Procedure Act to address the structural lack of transparency in the recruitment process. Jung Hyuncheol, secretary-general of Job Scam 119, pointed out, "When the job market becomes rigid, recruitment fraud involving duties different from those in job postings worsens," adding, "Such cases are especially persistent among small and micro businesses." He further emphasized, "Because the penalties under existing legislation are not severe, many job seekers simply let it go. It is necessary to amend the law so that the Fair Hiring Procedure Act, currently applicable only to workplaces with 30 or more employees, is extended to all businesses."