These days, Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) often uses the term "youth in preparation." He is suggesting that the group classified in employment statistics as "at rest" be renamed "in preparation." Minister Kim also calls them "young people who are catching their breath for a moment." Kim said, "Young people have often told me, 'we were labeled as at rest,' 'I'm working hard, so why do you keep calling me at rest?,' asking us to change the terminology first." It appears intended to avoid using the term "at rest," which has a negative tone, for young people in an era when finding a job is hard.
"At rest" means literally resting without job seeking or pursuing further education while being unemployed. Last year, the 2030 population falling under "at rest" was 717,000, the largest since related statistics began to be compiled in 2003.
According to a survey by the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) in Aug. last year, among those ages 15–29, the main reasons for being at rest were "because it is hard to find the job I want" (34.1%) and "resting to prepare for the next job" (19.9%). Among those in their 30s, reasons included "because of poor health" (32%) and "because it is hard to find the job I want" (27.3%).
If you fail to obtain a decent job in youth, it can negatively affect your entire life. If you cannot get a job at all, you immediately face difficulties making a living. Also, without receiving on-the-job training (OJT) that builds work skills while employed, the gap in capabilities with those already employed widens over time. As you get older, it becomes harder to find not only regular positions but even nonregular jobs. As the elderly poor population grows, the burden increases for the country as a whole.
Accordingly, government ministries such as the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) are preparing measures to address the "youth at rest" issue. They are also said to be considering the negative tone conveyed by the term "at rest." There is discussion of a mid- to long-term plan to change "at rest," a term used in employment statistics.
However, some point out that changing "at rest" to terms like "in preparation" or "catching one's breath for a moment" could cause confusion. Employment statistics include a category for "job seekers in preparation." These are people who answered that in the past week they engaged in "attending an academy/institution for employment" or "employment preparation other than attending an academy/institution." Last year, there were 632,000 people preparing for employment, 85,000 fewer than young people at rest (717,000).
The Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS), which oversees official national statistics, is cautious about changing "at rest," an item surveyed and published under the Statistics Act. A MODS official said, "For statistics to be meaningful, they must be measured continuously under the same criteria," adding, "It is hard to change definitions or terms easily because it can undermine time-series comparability."