For Son Ga-hyun, who managed to land a job in textbook development after years of searching, job hunting in Korea had been a slow grind with little to show for it. “Entry-level openings were few and far between, and even internships would be packed with applicants with substantial work experience,” she said. “So even when positions were technically open to candidates with and without experience, I felt I never really stood a chance competing against people who had already spent years in the workforce.” For nearly two years, the 27-year-old relied on part-time teaching jobs to make ends meet. Her experience reflects a broader struggle among young job seekers in the country, where nearly half of young wage earners now work in irregular positions. As of Aug. 31, irregular workers accounted for 46 percent of wage earners aged 15 to 29 — the highest ratio recorded by the Ministry of Data and Statistics since it began compiling the data in 2003. The figure was considerably higher than the 38.5 percent recorded among wage earners of all ages. The trend points to a changing hiring cultu