Drastic Increase in Unemployment Rate of Women University Graduates

Last month the unemployment rate of highly educated women reached the highest level in four years as the number of university-graduated women almost doubled compared to the previous month.

The reason for the drastic increase in the number of unemployed highly-educated women was analyzed to be the result of many of women who graduated from university last February failing to find a job. Particularly, women are suffering double pains from the high unemployment rate and discrimination against women.

According to the Korea National Statistical Office on March 22, the number of unemployed women who graduated from university jumped from 72,000 in January to 142,000 in February. In February of last year, the number was 112,000.

Accordingly, last month’s unemployment rate for university-graduated women reached 5.8 percent, which was 2.7 percent higher than the previous month and the highest ever since February of 2000’s 6.1 percent.

The unemployment rate of women university graduates is 1.75 times higher than the 3.3 percent of unemployment rate of university-graduated men. Moreover, the unemployment rate for high school graduates as well as the overall unemployment rate for women showed higher rates than men.

In contrast, the number of unemployed university-graduated men was 154,000, only 16,000 more compared to January and 4,000 less than the number unemployed in February of last year.

Among women, the employment rates for two-year college-graduated women and four-year university-graduated women were 6.7 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively. The unemployment rate of women who graduated from a four-year University has reached its highest point since March of 1999’s 6.1 percent.

Meanwhile, of the 670,000 unemployed who lost their jobs less than a year ago, 91,000 lost their jobs because their temporary or seasonal work has been done, an increase of 75 percent compared to February of last year. In addition, 168,000 lost their jobs because of scarce work or financial difficulties, an increase of 29.2 percent compared to a year ago.

Jong sik Kong kong@donga.com