South Korea College Graduate Unemployment Hits 481,000 as AI Cuts Entry-Level Hiring
Updated
Updated · en.sedaily.com · Jul 19
South Korea College Graduate Unemployment Hits 481,000 as AI Cuts Entry-Level Hiring
3 articles · Updated · en.sedaily.com · Jul 19
Summary
481,000 college graduates were unemployed in South Korea in the second quarter, up 39,000 from a year earlier and the highest level since 2021.
3.0% was the unemployment rate for degree holders, up 0.2 percentage point, while total unemployment rose by only 11,000, showing the strain is concentrated among the college-educated.
309,000 of the unemployed degree holders were in their 20s and 30s, and the unemployment rate for college graduates in their 20s jumped to 8.3%, the highest since 2021.
Companies are favoring experienced hires and trimming entry-level recruitment to cut costs, while economists say AI is displacing jobs most heavily among workers with less than five years of experience.
The report also points to a wider labor-market reshuffle, with more top students moving into science and engineering and manufacturers racing to adopt AI before older skilled workers retire.