Job-seekers pay plenty to find work

Young job-seekers spend around 300,000 won ($270) per month on courses or cram schools to help get employed, a survey by the Presidential Committee on Young Generation showed on Wednesday.

A survey of 1,100 job-seekers and entry-level employees showed that 44.3 percent of job-seekers paid for at least one private education course to increase their chances of landing a job.

Nearly 60 percent of 792 job-seekers said they used programs or classes offered by universities, while more than 33 percent said they had participated in study groups to hone their skills. Multiple answers were allowed in this section of the survey.

The most frequent areas in which job-seekers took lessons were languages and computer skills.

An average job-seeker spent 300,000 won per month on private education for finding a job, the survey showed.

More than 44 percent said they covered the expenses with parental support, while 27.2 percent said they paid on their own. Another 27.4 percent said they paid some and their parents paid the rest.

The reasons given for private education included: “It was the most effective way to prepare [for the job application process]” (38.6 percent); “I did not feel confident enough to prepare on my own” (23.8 percent); and “To increase chances of landing a job by even a little bit” (22.9 percent).

Nearly 36 percent of the job-seekers said feedback from companies who declined to hire them would be helpful, while 22 percent said implementation of job specific hiring programs would help them too. More than 17 percent said simplification of job applications would cut back on a lot of anxiety.

On job-search related programs at universities, nearly 47 percent said the programs did not align with the realities in the job market, while 46 percent said the universities did not offer classes they were looking for.

BY PARK JUNG-YOUN [park.jungyoun@joongang.co.kr]