According to a survey of 1,412 job seekers conducted by career platform Saramin, 63.3 percent said they considered themselves to be in a "resting" or "taking a break" phase.
The finding underscores a gap between South Korea's official labor classifications and how many job seekers perceive their own status.
Under the country's labor statistics, people actively seeking work are classified as unemployed rather than economically inactive.
Even those preparing for employment by studying or acquiring new skills are not included in the official "taking a break" category. The survey, however, found that many use the term more broadly to describe the emotional reality of prolonged job hunting.
The perception was widespread across age groups, with 62.4 percent of respondents in their 20s, 66.1 percent in their 30s and 65.8 percent in their 40s describing themselves that way. The figure was lower among those aged 50 or older at 53.9 percent.
The biggest reason cited was the inability to secure a full-time job, selected by 70.9 percent of respondents. Others said they felt unproductive (37.9 percent), believed they were simply letting time pass (34.6 percent), were not engaged in paid work such as part-time jobs (28.9 percent), or were recovering physically or mentally before returning to work (20.6 percent). Respondents could choose more than one answer.
Yet most respondents remained actively engaged in their job search. More than four in five, or 81.4 percent, said they had either been looking for work continuously over the past year or had resumed their job search after taking a break. They had applied for an average of 30.3 job postings during that period.
Their willingness to find work also remained strong. Some 86.6 percent said they hoped to find a job within the next month, while the number of newly registered resumes on Saramin rose 14.4 percent from the second half of last year.
Different meanings were attached to the "taking a break" phrase.
While 34.8 percent associated it with helplessness or giving up on job hunting, 28.5 percent viewed it as a period of regrouping before the next opportunity. Another 20.1 percent said it meant waiting for a job that met their expectations, while 13.4 percent associated it primarily with leisure or time off.
Saramin said many job seekers use the expression not because they have left the labor market, but because it captures the uncertainty and pressure of an increasingly prolonged job search.
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