Number of young Koreans not seeking jobs reaches 400,000, highest since pandemic

The number of young Koreans who opted out of the job market in May was recorded at about 400,000, the highest since 2020. Despite the government’s measures announced last year to integrate this group into the labor market, their number increased again after nine months as the number of full-time jobs decreased.
According to a Statistics Korea survey released Sunday, 398,000 between the ages of 15 to 29 were economically inactive in May, neither searching for nor preparing to get a job.
These individuals did not have any serious illnesses or disabilities but reported they were “just taking time off” in the survey. They are also different from the unemployed, who have actively sought employment in the past four weeks but have been unable to find 추천 a job.
The figure is the second-highest for May since related statistics began being compiled in 2003, with the highest being 462,000 in May 2020.