"I was surprised that they couldn't find a job because they were so smart," the 35-year-old said in Seoul at a two-day job fair organized by KOREC, her startup, last month. "Many could speak Japanese, so I thought it might be better for them to go to Japan. I wanted to help."
South Korean youth face a chronic shortage of desirable entry-level jobs, as major employers such as Samsung prefer to hire experienced workers and many older people remain in their jobs. In aging Japan, meanwhile, companies are struggling to fill positions in large graduate recruitment programs that offer structured training to people starting their careers.
In a sign of growing demand – and despite average salaries now being slightly higher in South Korea than in Japan – South Korea's Wanted Lab, Japan's LAPRAS, both of which specialize in tech talent placement, this year launched services similar to KOREC, joining early mover Mynavi.
The South Korean capital has also hosted at least three Japan-focused job fairs this year, featuring employers such as Canon Imaging Systems and industrial automation group Azbil. According to the latest monthly data for June, South Korea's youth unemployment rate was 7.0%, while Japan's overall unemployment rate was 2.5%.
