Public Sector Jobs Drying Up

Next year, getting a public job may be more difficult than it is now as more and more people want to work for public corporations for the job security while at the same time, many corporations are expected to recruit fewer employees or none in the near future.

This is because the government has already increased the number of new employees, driving down demand, and because negative public sentiment about public mismanagement is growing. This could lead to a restructuring when the new administration starts. This is one reason that next year’s economic situation looks bleak.

Public corporations said on November 19 that the Korea National Housing Corporation will hire only about 50 people to fill vacancies in 2008. That is only about 27.9 percent of the number it plans to recruit in the second half of the year (179).

The Incheon International Airport Corporation is not going to employ any more new staff next year because it already picked 64 people in the first half of this year and it has almost met its mandatory quota assigned by the government.

The Korea Appraisal Board will employ 31 people in the second half of this year, but will not employ anybody next year. An official of the Korea Electric Power Corporation said that the corporation is looking for 199 employees this year, and the company expects that it will select fewer people next year.

An insider of a public sector said that public corporations are not hiring because people raise voices over the public sector reform.

higgledy@donga.com larosa@donga.com