Young South Koreans taking job exams hit record high

The number of young South Koreans preparing to take exams for public jobs and professional qualifications registered a record high in May amid a sluggish job market caused by the pandemic, according to data by Statistics Korea.

Some 859,000, or 19.1% of 4.49 million economically inactive people aged 15 to 29 were preparing for job exams in May, an increase of 17.1% percentage points, or 55,000 year-on-year.  The figure marked the highest number of younger jobseekers since Statistics Korea began compiling the data in 2006, reports The Korea Herald. 

Of the total, 32.4% were preparing for state exams for the roles of low-ranking public servants, up 4.1% percentage points year-on-year. Another 22.2% said they were preparing for exams to land jobs in private firms. 

Some 10.5% spent their time preparing for civil service exams for senior positions, an increase of 2.4 percentage points year-on-year. 

READ: Young South Koreans take 10 months to find their first job

South Korea reported job additions for the fourth straight month in June, however many young people still found it hard to find jobs, averaging about 10.1 months to find their first job after graduation.