00:02You're listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
00:06Korea's job market just sent a warning signal to every new graduate.
00:11Youth unemployment isn't easing, it's climbing.
00:15Meanwhile, top science students are quietly walking away from medical school.
00:19And one number tells you exactly why AI is part of the story.
00:23It's Monday, July 20th.
00:25Let's look at what this means for job seekers and graduates in Korea.
00:30The job market for graduates has gotten tougher this year, not easier.
00:33At the same time, top science track students are shifting away from medicine
00:38toward engineering and semiconductors.
00:40Both trends point to where hiring demand is actually concentrated right now.
00:44Here's what the numbers show.
00:46South Korea's second quarter graduate unemployment hit 481,000 people,
00:51up 39,000 from a year earlier, the highest second quarter figure since the pandemic.
00:56The graduate unemployment rate rose to 3.0 percent, and workers aged 20 to 39 made up 64.2 percent
01:05of that total.
01:06First-time job seekers with zero work experience climbed to 56,000, the first such increase in
01:12a second quarter since 2019.
01:15Economists point to a specific cause.
01:17Companies increasingly prefer quasi-experienced hires over fresh graduates to cut training costs.
01:23One professor noted AI now displaces entry-level jobs with under five years of experience more
01:30than any other tier.
01:31Meanwhile, 844 students from science and gifted high schools chose the four major science and
01:38technology institutes over medical school this year, a 7.9 percent jump, chasing chip sector
01:44pay and job security instead.
01:46So what does this mean for job seekers weighing their next move?
01:49Earlier, we said hiring is shifting toward experience over fresh degrees.
01:54Here's what that actually means for you.
01:56Build a portfolio or internship record before you apply, since entry-level competition is
02:02tightening fastest in AI-exposed roles.
02:05The clearest opening right now sits in semiconductors and deep tech fields, where student demand and
02:11employer demand are both rising together.
02:13If your target sector isn't chips or AI infrastructure, expect a longer search this year.
02:19That's today's AI Prism, students and grads.
02:23This episode was produced with AI assistance based on Seoul Economic Daily reporting and
02:28reviewed by a human editor.
02:30AI Prism is a Juan Ifra award-winning series.
02:34We'll be back tomorrow.
02:35You've been listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
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