Young people shift to fixed-term work as regular job entries fall
Updated
Updated · The Korea JoongAng Daily · May 4
Young people shift to fixed-term work as regular job entries fall
7 articles · Updated · The Korea JoongAng Daily · May 4
A Korea Labor Institute report said youth full-time fixed-term jobs rose by 54,000 in 2025 as new regular hires dropped by 69,000, after a 43,000 fall in 2024.
The report said the decline remained significant even after adjusting for a shrinking youth population, while regular employment increased by about 110,000 for ages 35 to 64 and 90,000 for those 65 and older.
Youth self-employment also fell by 87,000 as of August last year, suggesting an economic slowdown pushed many into fixed-term roles in education, construction, health and welfare instead of stable entry-level jobs.
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