Strategies needed as youth want to work fewer hours

[KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

For the older generation, an overarching mantra was "work longer and earn more." This logic no longer prevails among many 20-somethings, with the consequent loss of productivity a source of worry for the government.

A quarter of those aged 15 and 29 work less than 36 hours, and 74.8 percent do not want these hours to change, contrary to the belief that people want to change jobs for a higher salary and job security, according to a survey by Statistics Korea.

Working less than 36 hours a week is equivalent to being a freelancer or part-timer.

Out of 4.5 million employed youths aged 15 to 29 in May, those working less than 36 hours a week totaled 1.04 million, according to data from Statistics Korea. Exempting those enrolled in school or colleges, 489,000 youths in the workforce have either dropped out of their respective educational institutions or graduated. And 15 percent of 3.03 million employed youth work less than 36 hours.

The result reflects an evolving perception towards part-time jobs, which were once merely considered a stepping stone before landing a full-time position.

Out of 489,000 youths currently not receiving an education and working for less than 36 hours, 75 percent say that they “want to continue working” as they are now. Only 59,000 out of those who did not want to keep the status quo said they would like to change jobs to increase their working hours.

Only 29.9 percent of those 489,000 respondents were full-time employees. Meanwhile, 53 percent answered they were temporary workers working as part-timers or freelancers.

A 30-year-old who wished to only be known by his surname Min works part-time in Chuncheon, Gangwon. He has lived with his parents since graduating from college and works eight hours daily, three times a week. He spends the rest of his time preparing for the civil service examination.

“Since I can save on food and rent, what I earn now is enough,” he said. “It would be great if I pass the exam, but I am content with my current situation.”

A survey of 885 users by Incruit, a job portal site, showed that a four-day workweek topped young job seekers' wishlists. Of these users, 23.4 percent chose the four-day workweek, followed by working from home and flexible working hours. Respondents also favored welfare points.

“Young people nowadays prioritize achieving a work-life balance and also prefer jobs where one can flexibly control their working hours,” Jeong Yeon-woo, Incruit's head of communications, said.

The dwindling birthrate prophesizes a decline in the size of the young workforce. The percentage of young people aged 15 to 24 is predicted to shrink from the current 15.8 percent of the total population to 10.4 percent by 2045. If more youth continue to want to work fewer hours, experts warn there will be more jobs that remain vacant and in dire need of labor.

“Young people no longer choose jobs based on wages, and it will become impossible to recruit workforce if employers do not change the working environment for their employees,” Lee Chul-hee, a professor at Seoul National University's department of economics, said. “Companies have to implement more efficient labor strategies, such as lowering education level bars to allow more employees without college diplomas to enter the market, or increase female work participation.”

BY JEONG JIN-HO [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]