Enter 2021.01.13 11:51 | Revision 2021.01.13 11:57
After the Moon Jae-in administration was inaugurated, the number of employed people in their 20s and 40s with active economic activity drastically decreased, the number of’coverers’ increased, and the inactive population also recorded a record high. As the door to employment narrowed, the’giving up’ was the most serious, especially in the 20s.
Experts were concerned about the birth of a’lost generation’. This is because the prolonged loss of employment opportunities among young people can lead to a lifetime income gap and a deepening of the gap between rich and poor. He also pointed out that social conflict could intensify due to the anger of young people who failed to find a job.
◇The most inactive population ever… Resting and giving up job hunting Population 3 million
The National Statistical Office announced on the 13th that the number of inactive people last year was 16673,000, an increase of 455,000 (2.8%) from the previous year. As the number of employed people increased due to the Corona 19 crisis, the inactive population increased significantly. Among them, the number of’recessed’ people who do not work even though they have the ability to work increased by 13.5% (282,000) over the same period to 2374,000, the largest ever since 2003 when related statistics were prepared. The increase is also the largest.
The combined population of’resting’ and’job seekers’ is 2979,000, which is at the threshold of 3 million. The combined population of rest and job hunting was only 1.849,000 in 2014, but after the Moon Jae-in administration was inaugurated, it increased to 2379,000 in 2018, and it is continuously increasing to 2625,000 in 2019.
An official from the National Statistical Office said, “According to the natural increase in the population, the number of inactive populations is increasing every year. However, due to the corona outbreak, the number of employed has increased, and the number of non-convicted populations has reached a record high. Said.
The employment cold wave caused by the corona crisis was the most damaging to those in their twenties, who are entering the job market. Among the inactive population, the’rest’ population by age group increased the most in their 20s (84,000, 25.2%) compared to the previous year. They were in their 40s (52,000, 23.4%) and in their 30s (40,000, 18.8%). Resting The population increased in all age groups, including those over 60 (74,000 people, 8.5%).
In fact, the number of job seekers was 791,000, an increase of 43,000 (5.8%) from the previous year. This also seems to be a prolonged effect of job seekers’ job preparation as companies stopped hiring due to the corona crisis. Housework (154,000 people, 2.7%) also increased, but in attendance and classes (-92,000 people, -2.5%). This is due to the fact that the youth population is gradually decreasing.
◇ Signs of structuring of’chronic unemployment’… Possibility of the emergence of a’lost generation’ with lost employment
The problem is that large-scale public recruitment of large companies, which was an annual event, is gradually decreasing as telecommuting increases after the spread of Corona 19. already LG Electronics (066570)Last year abolished the public loan system and changed the recruitment system to regular employment. This trend can lead to fewer companies hiring new workers.
As a result of conducting a survey on the ‘2021 recruitment market’ from the 2nd to the 16th of last month by Job Korea, about 80% of corporate HR managers answered that the recruitment market will be similar or worse than last year. 40.4% said it will be’similar to this year’ and 39.7% said it will be worse than this year. A research fellow at a private economic research institute said, “As telecommuting spreads, it has become possible for companies to clearly distinguish between essential organizations and essential manpower. Companies prefer regular hiring rather than large-scale public loans. This could be advantageous. This could worsen the employment experience of the Corona generation.”
Experts were concerned that chronic abandonment of employment due to the corona crisis would cause a structural and long-term’scar’. It is an analysis that the income gap may widen as the youth cannot enter the job search market in time, resulting in a deepening of the gap between rich and poor. Another problem is that as the number of job-prepared students accumulates, employment difficulties for the entire youth may become more severe. The trend of changing corporate recruitment culture is that it is impossible to guarantee employment of the’corona generation’ even during the economic recovery period. Like the’lost generation’ who failed to find employment during the 1999 IMF crisis, the’corona generation’ can also become another forgotten generation.
Some point out that the anger and frustration of the Corona generation can turn into a social conflict.If the despair and alienation of the failure to enter society cannot be resolved, it can eventually be ignited by intergenerational conflict, and hatred by minorities such as foreign workers. Can also appear.
Professor Geum Jae-ho of Korea University of Science and Technology Education said, “There is a high possibility that the corona generation will become a new’lost generation’. Even in the first half of this year, the situation will not improve significantly. As a result, the gap between the rich and the poor is deepening,” he said. “If the youth cannot continue to find employment, they can become a kind of social anger and intensify various conflicts.”