Some 56.2% of South Korean job seekers are delaying their job search by 3 months or more to gain experience through internships and boot camps. Hiring is shifting from large-scale open recruitment to smaller, rolling recruitment by job function, prompting more job seekers to prioritize gaining experience.
In a survey of 664 South Korean job seekers, more than half, or 56.2%, said they had delayed applying for jobs by 3 months or more to participate in internships or boot camps. The delay was 3–6 months for 25.8%, 6 months to 1 year for 16.9%, and more than 1 year for 13.5%.
The most common reason for delaying their job search was “to gain work experience,” cited by 36%, followed by “because job postings give preference to relevant experience” at 24.7% and “to fill out my portfolio” at 20.2%.
When 147 large-company recruiters were asked about the factors they consider, 67.3% cited “job-related experience,” including internships, part-time jobs and projects, in a multiple-response question. Another 22.4% said they require job-related training such as boot camps.
As smaller, department-level hiring becomes more common in place of large-scale open recruitment, 93% of companies select fewer than 10 people per job posting. Job seekers are increasingly looking for postings that match their experience and aptitude while interacting with AI.
The number of employed people aged 15–29 has declined for 46 consecutive months year on year, falling from 4.035 million in August 2022 to 3.428 million in August this year. The youth employment rate also fell by 3.2 percentage points.