South Korea's youth employment crisis deepens as structural failures block entry to labor market. Youth employment fell for 41 consecutive months through March, with the rate dropping to 43.6% and unemployment rising to 7.6%. Manufacturing, construction, and hospitality sectors that traditionally hired young workers have contracted for over 20 months. A Bank of Korea report reveals 255,000 youth jobs disappeared since ChatGPT's launch, with 251,000 losses in AI-exposed industries. Companies increasingly demand prior experience for entry-level roles while shifting toward rolling recruitment and experienced hires. This trend threatens national competitiveness and economic growth. Temporary fiscal programs cannot address this structural problem requiring fundamental labor market reform.
