Youth unrest fueled by joblessness and inequality
Published: 04 Nov. 2025, 00:01
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
Koh Hyun-kohn
The author is the executive editor at the JoongAng Ilbo.
This year, protests swept across Southeast Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa. Even advanced economies were not immune. In France, the “National Paralysis Movement” against austerity measures shocked observers worldwide. Demonstrations broke out in Italy, Spain and the United States. Young people were at the forefront.
![Masked protesters run amid tear gas during clashes with French police at a demonstration in Nantes as part of a day of nationwide strikes and protests against the government and cuts in the next budget, with supporters of the ″Bloquons Tout″ (Let's Block Everything) movement, on Sept.18. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/04/ba45fda1-e9d3-4e75-bab6-fb9f4f6b3c46.jpg)
Masked protesters run amid tear gas during clashes with French police at a demonstration in Nantes as part of a day of nationwide strikes and protests against the government and cuts in the next budget, with supporters of the ″Bloquons Tout″ (Let's Block Everything) movement, on Sept.18. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
These were not traditional protests over political ideology, religion or ethnic conflict. Instead, they stemmed largely from frustration over unemployment, inequality, corruption and financial hardship. Youth anger, built up over years, erupted against what they saw as the greed, hypocrisy and incompetence of older generations.
At the core of global youth discontent lies one issue: a lack of jobs. Artificial intelligence and automation are replacing human labor. Older people often retain the jobs that remain. Young people entering the labor market struggle to find stable, well-paying work. Many feel isolated and hopeless. Rüdiger Maas, head of the German Institute for Generational Research, said young people are “filled with fear of economic hardship.” Resentment is rising. Some direct their anger at foreign workers and migrants, whom they see as competitors. Among young men, young women are sometimes viewed as rivals rather than partners. Anti-feminist sentiment is spreading.
![Sabin Tamang, 20, who works in a restaurant and participated in a Gen-Z protest, holds up a shovel while posing for a photograph next to graffiti as he takes part in a cleaning campaign following Monday's deadly anti corruption protests in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 10. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/04/2f965a61-6c7c-4f01-be56-61e78a426714.jpg)
Sabin Tamang, 20, who works in a restaurant and participated in a Gen-Z protest, holds up a shovel while posing for a photograph next to graffiti as he takes part in a cleaning campaign following Monday's deadly anti corruption protests in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 10. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
The political center is shrinking. Moderate voices are being replaced by radical ones on the far right and far left. The rise of far-right ideologies among youth poses a challenge to democracies. Politicians, unable to offer meaningful solutions, resort to short-term populist measures. Populist leaders, from Europe to Latin America, and figures like U.S. President Donald Trump, are gaining traction.
Korea faces similar tensions. Xenophobia, anti-feminism, and radical politics have taken root among young Koreans. The risk of youth-led protests cannot be dismissed. Korea’s manufacturing sector is under strain, hit by China’s overproduction and U.S. tariffs. According to the National Data Office, the employment rate among those aged 15 to 29 dropped to 45.1 percent in September, marking 17 consecutive months of decline. Entrepreneurship is also faltering. Data from the National Tax Service shows that the number of business owners in their 20s fell by 26,000 in the first quarter, to 354,000. Some 440,000 young people are classified as neither employed nor seeking work.
Labor unions offer little support. Most defend the interests of older, full-time workers. Young job seekers and non-regular workers are largely excluded. As of August, 8.56 million workers — 38.2 percent of the workforce — were employed on non-regular contracts, the highest figure on record. Their average monthly wage is 2.08 million won, less than half that of regular workers. Roughly 700,000 young people are preparing for employment without success. Companies increasingly favor experienced hires. Humanities graduates find fewer opportunities. At SK hynix, only 4 of 623 employees hired at the start of the year held humanities degrees. New employees accounted for just 26.6 percent of total hiring, an all-time low. Those who spend their twenties moving between part-time jobs face deepening stigma once they reach their thirties.
This desperation was laid bare in Cambodia, where young Koreans were involved in incidents that drew harsh public scrutiny. Some were criticized for chasing easy money or falling for scams promising monthly earnings of 4 million won. But not all went abroad with unrealistic expectations. Had there been more opportunities at home, such tragedies may have been avoided. Blanket condemnation is neither fair nor productive.
![A job seeker fills out documents at an employment center in Seoul in November of 2024, as prolonged sluggish domestic demand has pushed overall employment conditions — particularly in sales positions — back to levels seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/04/123d8618-048c-4977-b39d-d6a8c46c48e0.jpg)
A job seeker fills out documents at an employment center in Seoul in November of 2024, as prolonged sluggish domestic demand has pushed overall employment conditions — particularly in sales positions — back to levels seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. [YONHAP]
With the stock market rising, many young people are turning to full-time investing. Traditional investment advice emphasizes long-term strategy and surplus funds. But those without stable jobs struggle to remain calm. Many take on debt to trade. According to financial data, individuals in their 20s and those over 60 saw the sharpest increase in margin loans from January to July. Retirees and financially insecure young adults are now the most indebted stock investors. It is a troubling signal.
Rather than stabilizing expectations, the government appears to be encouraging speculation. The belief that rising stock prices can solve economic problems is spreading. But history shows that markets built on easy liquidity and weak fundamentals rarely end well. President Lee Jae Myung recently warned that Korea’s real estate market may face a crash similar to Japan’s “lost decades.” The same risks apply to the stock market.
Short-term gains and populism cannot substitute for sustainable policy. What young Koreans need is not soaring share prices but stable, meaningful jobs.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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