Young People in Korea Face the Toughest Employment Market Since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis
It is right now very hard for a person in their 20’s to secure a job in South Korea:
Job information pamphlets are displayed at a university career support center in Seoul on Sept. 9, 2026. (Yonhap)
The number of employed people in their 20s fell at the fastest pace this year since the 1998 Asian financial crisis, data showed Sunday, amid a trend toward entering the labor market at a later age.
The number of employed people in their 20s averaged 3.38 million in the January-August period, down 193,000 from the same period a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS).
The decline was the steepest since 1998, when the figure plunged by 550,000 in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.
You can read more at the link, but the article doesn’t say what the reasons are. However, it makes me wonder if AI is having an impact on entry level jobs in Korea?
