“Taking a Break” Population Hits 2.55 Million... 680,000 Young People in Their 20s and 30s Say, “There Are No Jobs We Want”

The number of people who are neither working nor looking for a job, and are "just resting" without any clear reason, has reached 2.55 million. In particular, 680,000 people in their 20s and 30s, who should be at the heart of the labor market, were resting. One in three of them had given up looking for work because they could not find a job they wanted, highlighting a serious mismatch in the job market.

Job seekers line up for employment consultations at the 2026 Incheon Job Fair for Middle-Aged Adults and Women, held on the 3rd at the central hall of Incheon City Hall in Namdong-gu, Incheon. Yonhap News

680,000 People in Their 20s and 30s Are Resting... "No Jobs They Want" as Mismatch Deepens

According to the results of the August 2026 Supplementary Survey on the Economically Inactive Population, released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on November 4, the number of economically inactive people who were neither working nor looking for a job without any particular reason for not doing so stood at 2,551,000. This was down 89,000 from 2,641,000 last year, the highest figure on record, but remained above 2.5 million.

By age group, people in their 60s accounted for the largest number at 966,000, followed by those in their 20s (377,000), 50s (366,000), 30s (303,000), 40s (264,000), and 70 or older (257,000). A total of 680,000 people in their 20s and 30s, who should form the backbone of the economy, were simply resting.

The main reasons for resting across all age groups were "poor health (34.4%)," "continued resting after leaving a job (19.9%)," and "difficulty finding a desired job (18.9%)."

The situation was different among young people. Those aged 15 to 29 (35.2%) and people in their 30s (32.3%) both cited "difficulty finding a desired job" as the top reason for resting. The share rose by 1.1 percentage points among those aged 15 to 29 and by 5.0 percentage points among people in their 30s compared with a year earlier. The number of young people resting because they could not find a job they wanted stood at 139,000 among those aged 15 to 29 and 98,000 among people in their 30s. Compared with a year earlier, the number fell by 13,000 among those aged 15 to 29 but rose by 8,000 among people in their 30s.

Job seekers line up to register at the 2026 KB Goodjob Busan Job Festival, held on the 26th at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan. More than 220 companies, including leading businesses from the Busan region, took part in the event. Yonhap News

One in Three People Aged 15 or Older Economically Inactive... Older Groups Rise, While Those in Their 40s and 50s Decline

The number of economically inactive people aged 15 or older who were either not looking for work despite being able to work or were unable to work stood at 16,297,000, up 77,000 from a year earlier. They accounted for 35.4% of the population aged 15 or older, or more than one in three people.

Women accounted for a larger share (61.5%) than men (38.5%). The main activities of the economically inactive population were "housework (37.0%)," "enrolled in school or taking courses (20.6%)," and "resting (15.7%)."

By age group, the largest shares were among those aged 70 or older (29.4%), people in their 60s (19.0%), and those aged 15 to 19 (13.1%), with the figures concentrated among older people and minors. Compared with a year earlier, the number increased among those aged 70 or older (by 232,000), people in their 60s (by 53,000), and those aged 15 to 19 (by 30,000). By contrast, it declined among people of working age, including those in their 50s (down 115,000), 40s (down 71,000), and 20s (down 43,000).

19.9% Hope to Work or Start a Business Within a Year, the Lowest in Eight Years... 76% "To Earn Living Expenses"

The number of economically inactive people who hoped to find a job or start a business within the next year was 3.24 million, or just 19.9%. The figure fell by 0.5 percentage points from last year, reaching its lowest level in eight years, since 2018 (16.7%).

The overwhelming reason for wanting to find a job or start a business was "to earn living expenses or spending money (76.1%)." Among those hoping to work, 92.9% wanted wage-earning jobs, while just 7.1% wanted non-wage jobs. Of those seeking wage-earning jobs, 67.0% wanted full-time work and 25.9% part-time work.

The most common desired average monthly wage was "2 million to less than 3 million won" (42.8%), followed by "3 million won or more (30.4%)" and "1 million to less than 2 million won (19.6%)." Among those hoping to start a business within a year, the most important factor was "income (profitability),” cited by 46.7%.

By contrast, the most common reasons for not wanting to find a job or start a business within a year were "housework (24.6%)," "commuting to school or preparing for further education (22.9%)," and "old age (21.7%)." Men most commonly cited "commuting to school or preparing for further education (33.5%)" and "old age (27.5%)," while women most often cited "housework (37.7%)" and "old age (18.5%)."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.