Military more popular with jobseekers

Joining the military is usually regarded as one of the less desirable careers. But with an ever-shrinking job market and an uncertain economic outlook, an increasing number of people are regarding a military career as a stable alternative.

According to Mileaders, a Seoul-based private education center, interest in military service exams has increased dramatically in recent months. Alarmingly high youth unemployment numbers show that school dropouts and graduates have been bearing the brunt of the economic downturn. Considering the job security and pension payments, a career in the military seems to have become a convincing option for young men.

“About 2,000 college graduates are expected to apply for military service exams through us this year, more than twice the level of previous years,” said Heo Jeung-yeol, an official of the Mileaders.

The real number of people interested in joining the military is likely to be a lot larger than that, Heo said, as the institution cuts off applicants after a certain number. The Army declined to publish its recent employment data, citing confidentiality.

Heo agrees that the precarious labor market is one of the key reasons why more young men are joining the military.
“It’s a tough life both physically and mentally, but the job security is enough for most college graduates to change their ideas about career paths,’’ he said.

The nation’s job market shows no signal of recovery. According to Statistics Korea, about 364,000 more jobs were created last month than a year earlier, the slowest growth pace since September 2011 and quite smaller than July’s figure of 470,000.

Some of the applicants include employees of chaebol, or Korea’s large family-owned conglomerates, and state-run firms who have been disappointed with their greedy business ways.

Mileaders said that competition among female officials is even higher than that of male counterparts, marking around a 10 to 1 ratio. Army officials did say that more and more female jobseekers are flocking to join their ranks, thanks to its relatively equal treatment for women.

“We do not discriminate female officials from their male counterparts. They get paid the same-level with male officials and have the same beneficiaries, which make us more attractive to female jobseekers,” said Han Young-hoon, a spokesman of the Army.
Officials for the Special Warfare Command, a military unit of the Army focusing on anti-terrorism and overseas missions, enjoy popularity as so far some 1,500 people applied for the jobs this year, which hires about 100 to 150.

Some military officials worry that people want to join the military for economic reasons as it requires high-level of integrity and responsibility.

Military jobs should not be sought for financial reasons. A military official should be equipped with the philosophy and will to serve the state and people,” said Jeon Byeong-gyu, a colonel in charge of the army’s public relations team. <The Korea Times/Kim Jae-won>

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