For the first time in history, the number of South Koreans with college degrees who are not in the labor force has surpassed the number of unemployed people with only a junior high school education.
The latest data from Statistics Korea released on July 22 shows signs of imbalance in the job market in the land of kimchi.
The labor market in Korea is becoming harsh for workers with bachelor's degrees (Illustration photo: Straits Times).
Specifically, as of July 2025, there are 3.048 million Koreans with bachelor's degrees or higher degrees, but are unemployed.
This figure slightly exceeds the 3.03 million unemployed Koreans with an education level of less than junior high school graduation.
Ten years ago, the number of unemployed graduates was much smaller than the number of unemployed workers who had only finished secondary school. The gap between the two groups used to be up to one million workers.
The current reversal in the situation has led experts in Korea to see this as a clear sign of “supply exceeding demand” in the field of higher education .
Specifically, the number of Korean university graduates is increasing, but job opportunities are not increasing at a corresponding rate.
South Korea has long been known as one of the countries with the highest rate of university education in the world . However, many graduates find it difficult to find jobs. The saturation of the highly-skilled labor force is creating a group of "unemployed graduates" in South Korea.
A survey conducted this year by the Korea Business Federation found that only 60.8% of large companies plan to hire, the lowest rate since 2022. Many college students are targeting industries like technology or finance, but these sectors are growing slowly, leading to a “job gap” for young workers.
The service sector in Korea, such as retail and tourism , was once expected to attract young university graduates who were struggling to find jobs. However, the employment rate of this sector in Korea has remained almost unchanged over the years, so it has not been able to reduce the number of unemployed graduates.
Experts in Korea say that the rate of unemployed graduates exceeding the number of unemployed people with low education is a warning for the education system in Korea. It seems that higher education in the land of kimchi only helps students meet the academic expectations of their families and society, but does not help them adapt well to reality.
A high degree no longer means a stable job. Meanwhile, the labor market in Korea is in need of more skilled workers.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/han-quoc-so-cu-nhan-that-nghiep-vuot-so-nguoi-chi-hoc-het-cap-ii-20250727110609496.htm
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