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Long-term unemployment among university graduates in 20s, 30s hits 13-month high

Published: 16 Nov. 2025, 16:32

Graduation ceremony file photo [YONHAP]

The number of people in their 20s and 30s with university degrees who have been unemployed for more than six months has climbed to its highest level in 13 months, data showed Sunday.

A total of 119,000 people said they remained jobless for over six months last month despite efforts to find employment, marking the highest figure in four years, according to Statistics Korea.

The long-term unemployment rate had remained slightly above the 100,000 range in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic but had since stayed below that level before surging again last month.

Of the 658,000 unemployed people nationwide last month, long-term unemployment accounted for 18.1 percent.

In particular, people in the age groups with at least a four-year university degree totaled 35,000, the highest since September of last year, when the number reached 36,000.

Although the number of young people classified as "taking a break," who are not engaged in any job-seeking activities, has decreased, experts say the job mismatch facing highly educated youths remains unresolved.

Yonhap