More young Koreans opt out of labor market amid AI shift, weak growth: BOK

The number of young Koreans who are neither working nor seeking employment has surged in recent years, raising concerns about structural strains in the labor market, a central bank report showed Tuesday. According to a Bank of Korea (BOK) report on youth employment, the share of people aged 20 to 34 classified as "resting" rose to 22.3 percent in 2025 from 14.6 percent in 2019. The category refers to individuals who are not employed and are not engaged in job searches, education or training without specific reasons, such as child care or illness. Among them, the number of young people who said they do not want to work at all climbed to around 450,000 last year, up from 287,000 in 2019. Youths with a junior college education or less accounted for a larger share of the "resting" group, but the proportion of university graduates has been rising markedly in recent years, the BOK said. The BOK attributed the trend to structural factors, including artificial intelligence (AI)-driven changes in the labor market, companies' growing preference for experienced workers and slowing economic growth. ThWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times