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It is described as an “ice age of employment” in Japan and “Hell Joseon” in South Korea.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an increase in unemployment in both countries and young people, perhaps, are the most affected by the loss of jobs. Many are unable to get their dream job, or no job at all, after graduation.
As large conglomerates in both countries cancel their annual barrage of massive hiring, young Japanese and South Koreans have had to think on their feet to escape the prospect of being out of work, as reporters Walter Sim and Chang May Choon report.
Young Japanese do whatever it takes to avoid a Covid-19 ‘ice age’
After applying to nearly 50 companies in Japan and abroad, Ms. Ayaka Nakamura finally received a job offer as an associate at a Tokyo research firm.
This was despite her aspirations to work in journalism, be it at a newspaper or an online media company.
“Honestly, I was very angry when I was rejected the first time, but after facing dozens of rejections, I got used to the feeling,” the 23-year-old told The Straits Times.
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‘Ice Age of Employment’: Japanese Woman Finds Work at Semiconductor Company After Cabin Crew Dreams Melt
Ms. Kana Amaya’s childhood dream was to see the world while working as a cabin attendant.
The jet-set, who has visited countries such as the United States and the Philippines, has also acquired language skills that she hoped to use at work. In addition to his native Japanese, he speaks English and Thai.
But the 22-year-old’s aspirations were crushed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which triggered a hiring freeze in the global aviation industry. Ms Amaya says she applied to domestic and international airlines, including Singapore Airlines and Emirates, without success.
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South Korean youth trapped in unemployment hell worsened by Covid-19, recruiting changes
Getting a job, not to mention the job of your dreams, is today a feat for the youth of South Korea.
Already trapped in a fiercely competitive job market saturated with college graduates, one they had been considering as “hell” for a while, they now see their prospects darken even further due to Covid-19 and changed hiring practices.
South Korea reported a record real unemployment rate of 25.4 percent in September for people between the ages of 15 and 29, a year-on-year increase of 4.3 percent. This figure includes those who have part-time or temporary jobs, who work less than 36 hours a week while trying to find a permanent job.
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‘Hell Joseon’: Coronavirus frustrates young Koreans’ dream of working in the US
Living in New York and about to complete her graduate studies in political science earlier this year, Ms. Lee Hyun-a was ready to find a job in the Big Apple and start a new chapter of her life there.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit the United States, and the 25-year-old had to return to her hometown in South Korea in May.
“Both daily life and the job market froze at the same time. I could no longer stay and pay the rent without a job, so I went back,” he told The Straits Times.
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