A survey of 1,000 job-seeking young people by the Federation of Korean Industries found they spend an average of 580,000 won a month preparing for work. Some 69.3 percent said the cost is a burden.
According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun and other outlets on the 18th and 19th, the federation commissioned polling firm Monoresearch to survey 1,000 job seekers aged 19 to 34 nationwide. The survey dates, method and margin of error were not confirmed in the reports. It looked at what young people spend while searching for jobs and how heavy that feels.
광고 문의 · 300×250Spending was highest, about 800,000 won a month, among those preparing for three years or more, versus 560,000 won for under six months and about 520,000 won for six months to a year. By age, those 30 to 34 spent about 600,000 won, 25 to 29 spent 580,000 won, and 19 to 24 spent 560,000 won. Those aiming for large firms spent about 700,000 won, mid-sized firms 630,000 won, and small firms 590,000 won.
Exams and tuition take over half
The biggest category was certification and language exam fees at 30.7 percent, then tuition 22.6 percent, textbooks and materials 16.1 percent, transport 12.4 percent and study-space rental 7.3 percent. Funding came from family support (32.8 percent), part-time and other income (29.5 percent) and savings (27.3 percent); government or local aid was only 7.9 percent.
About 70.8 percent of job-seeking respondents live with their parents, higher than the share among all young people aged 19 to 34. Exam-fee subsidies topped the wish list at 25.9 percent, followed by housing support (16.7 percent), a general-purpose job-search voucher (16.1 percent) and transport aid (11.4 percent).
The findings are read as showing that job-prep costs rest heavily on households, especially parents. But this is a single survey of 1,000 people, so generalizing it to all job-seeking young Koreans has limits.