“Because they can’t find the jobs they want” ... 680,000 young people in their 20s and 30s are simply taking a break

[Financial News] About 680,000 young people in their 20s and 30s were found to be classified as “taking a break” without seeking work. Among these age groups, the most common response was that they were taking a break because it was difficult to find the jobs they wanted.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics’ “Results of the Supplementary Survey of the Economically Inactive Population in the August 2026 Economically Active Population Survey,” released on the 5th, the economically inactive population stood at 16,297,000 in August, up 77,000 from a year earlier. It accounted for 35.4% of the population aged 15 and older.
Women made up 61.5% of the economically inactive population, compared with 38.5% for men. From a year earlier, the number of men increased by 55,000 and the number of women by 21,000.
Among the economically inactive population, 2,551,000 people were classified as “taking a break,” down 89,000 from the same period last year.
“Taking a break” refers to people in the economically inactive population who are resting without engaging in any particular job-seeking activity.
By age group, the largest number of people classified as “taking a break” were in their 60s, at 966,000. They were followed by those in their 20s at 377,000, in their 50s at 366,000, in their 30s at 303,000, in their 40s at 264,000, and those aged 70 or older at 257,000.
People in their 20s and 30s together numbered 680,000, accounting for about 26.7% of the total “taking a break” population.
The most common reason people in the overall “taking a break” population gave for not working was “not feeling well,” at 34.4%. This was followed by “continuing to take a break after quitting or retiring at retirement age,” at 19.9%, and “difficulty finding the job they want,” at 18.9%.
The reasons differed by age. Among those aged 15–29 and people in their 30s, the most common response was “difficulty finding the job they want,” at 35.2% and 32.3%, respectively. By contrast, among those aged 40 and older, “not feeling well” accounted for the largest share.
A total of 3,240,000 people in the economically inactive population said they intended to find a job or start a business within the next year, accounting for 19.9% of the total. That share was down 0.5 percentage points from last year and was the lowest since it stood at 16.7% in 2018.
The most common reason for wanting to find a job or start a business was “to earn money for living expenses or pocket money,” cited by 76.1%.
Asked what type of job they wanted, 92.9% said “wage worker,” making up the vast majority, while 7.1% said “non-wage worker.” In more detail, “full-time” was the most common choice at 67.0%, followed by “part-time” at 25.9% and “self-employed” at 6.9%.
The most commonly desired average monthly wage was “2 million to less than 3 million won,” at 42.8%. This was followed by “3 million won or more” at 30.4% and “1 million to less than 2 million won” at 19.6%.
The factor most important to people hoping to start a business was “income (profit),” cited by 46.7%. This was followed by “their aptitude and major” at 24.1% and “the amount of startup capital, growth potential, and other factors” at 18.0%.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter