[South Korea's Employment Situation Worsens, Proportion of Graduates Unemployed for Over Three Years Hits 21-Year High] BlockBeats News, July 23: A survey released today by South Korea's national statistics agency shows that the employment situation for young graduates continues to deteriorate. Nearly half of young people who graduated over a year ago are still unable to find work, while the proportion of those unemployed for over three years has reached a 21-year high. Data indicates that as of May this year, the number of employed youth aged 15 to 29 decreased by 202,000 year-on-year to 2.76 million, while the number of unemployed youth increased by 31,000 to 1.243 million. The duration of job-seeking after graduation continues to lengthen. Among unemployed youth, 48.6% have been unemployed for over a year, up 2 percentage points from 46.6% in the same period last year, marking the highest level since the 2009 global financial crisis (51.7%). Of these, long-term unemployed individuals who have been jobless for over three years account for 19.4% of all unemployed youth, the highest level since related statistics began in 2007. Additionally, only 84.8% of graduates have had any employment experience, the lowest level since related statistics began in 2004. As the employment environment worsens, young people are showing less interest in applying to private companies and are increasingly opting to take civil service exams. A spokesperson for the relevant statistics department stated that improved benefits for entry-level civil servants are one reason, but more importantly, companies are favoring experienced job seekers and increasing temporary hiring, making the employment environment for young people more challenging than in the past.