Among the hardest hit were young scholars under 30, with nearly half of new PhD holders in that category unable to secure employment.
In South Korea, nearly 30% of PhD graduates are unemployed, the highest rate since 2014. The unemployment rate is especially high (47.7%) among graduates under 30. Health, welfare, education, business, and law graduates have better employment prospects. The unemployment reflects a scarcity of high-quality positions amid an economic slowdown.
