Vocational High School Employment Rate Rises to 55.8%, with 40% Joining Large Companies

Despite a challenging job market for young people, the employment rate for graduates of vocational high schools, including specialized and Meister schools, has risen to 55.8%, marking a rebound after four years. Nearly 40% of employed graduates secured positions in medium to large companies with over 300 employees, indicating a continuous improvement in the quality of employment for five consecutive years. However, this rise in employment rates also highlights a significant outflow of talent, with nearly half of graduates seeking jobs outside their local regions.

The Ministry of Education and the Korea Educational Development Institute announced on November 5 that they conducted a survey of 63,038 graduates from 573 vocational high schools (460 specialized schools, 53 Meister schools, and 60 general high schools with vocational programs) who graduated in January and February of this year. The survey utilized public databases, including health and employment insurance.

As of April 1, the survey found that 16,209 vocational high school graduates were employed, 31,017 pursued further education, 1,701 enlisted in the military, 1,288 were recognized as unable to work, and 12,823 remained unemployed. The employment rate, excluding those pursuing further education or military service, stands at 55.8%, a 0.6 percentage point increase from last year’s 55.2%. The employment rate for vocational high schools had been on a downward trend for three consecutive years, dropping from 57.8% in 2022 to 55.2% last year, before this year’s increase.

The college enrollment rate remained steady at 49.2% (53.6% for junior colleges and 46.4% for four-year universities), while the percentage of unemployed graduates who had not decided on their career paths decreased to 20.3%, down from 20.8% the previous year. The survey revealed four key characteristics and challenges of this year’s vocational high school employment market.

This year’s statistics highlight a significant improvement in the quality of jobs, beyond just the quantitative rebound. An analysis of the employment of 16,007 vocational high school graduates enrolled in health and employment insurance revealed that 38.4% (6,143 individuals) found jobs in companies with over 300 employees.

The proportion of graduates employed in companies with over 300 employees has steadily increased over the past five years: 22.5% in 2021, 29.9% in 2022, 33.4% in 2023, 34.5% in 2024, 36.3% in 2025, and 38.4% in 2026. This represents a 15.9 percentage point increase in employment in medium to large companies within just five years.

Conversely, the proportion of graduates employed in small businesses with fewer than 30 employees has decreased from 39.9% in 2021 to 29.7% this year (24.2% in businesses with 5-30 employees and 5.5% in those with fewer than 5 employees), falling below 30%.

Notably, Meister schools, which are tailored to meet industrial demands, showed remarkable performance. The overall employment rate for Meister schools was 71.8%, significantly higher than the 53.6% for specialized schools and 37.8% for general high schools with vocational programs. The gap in employment quality was even more pronounced.

Among Meister school graduates (3,163 insured individuals), 43.2% (1,367 individuals) secured positions in large companies with over 1,000 employees, and when combined with those employed in companies with 300 to 1,000 employees (15.4% or 488 individuals), a total of 58.6% of Meister school graduates found jobs in medium to large companies.

In terms of industry, 40.1% (6,426 individuals) of all employed graduates entered the manufacturing sector, followed by accommodation and food services (10.3% or 1,643 individuals) and retail (7.3% or 1,167 individuals). The highest employment rates by field of study were in chemical engineering (65.3%), machinery (63.0%), electrical and electronics (62.4%), food processing (60.7%), and culinary arts (60.1%).

Gender data reveals a pronounced trend of female students outperforming male students across all metrics, including employment, further education, and job retention.

This year, the employment rate for male graduates (37,147 individuals) was 54.7%, while female graduates (25,891 individuals) achieved a rate of 57.8%, surpassing their male counterparts by 3.1 percentage points. In specialized schools, female students had an employment rate of 56.6% compared to 51.5% for males, a difference of 5.1 percentage points. In Meister schools, the gap widened to 10.2 percentage points, with female students at 80.4% and male students at 70.2%. In general high schools with vocational programs, female students had a remarkable 13.3 percentage point advantage, with rates of 45.5% for females and 32.2% for males. The college enrollment rate for female students was also higher at 56.3%, compared to 44.2% for males, a difference of 12.1 percentage points.

The retention rate, which indicates how well graduates adapt to their jobs, showed an even larger gender gap. Among last year’s graduates, the retention rate six months after employment (first measure) was 84.0% for females and 81.0% for males, a 3.0 percentage point difference. However, one year later (second measure), the retention rate for females dropped to 74.1%, while for males it fell to 65.5%, widening the gap to 8.6 percentage points.

Notably, female graduates from Meister schools maintained a retention rate of 84.9% one year after employment, compared to 68.6% for males. Among the 2024 graduates, the retention rate 18 months later (third measure) was 71.7% for females, indicating that more than seven out of ten female graduates retained their jobs, while the rate for males dropped to 56.0%, showing a 15.7 percentage point gap.

Cross-analysis of regional statistics reveals both the strengths and weaknesses of vocational high schools in rural areas. The employment rate for schools located outside the capital region was 58.7%, surpassing the capital region’s rate of 51.4% by 7.3 percentage points.

In terms of city and provincial employment rates, Daegu (68.7%) and Gyeongbuk (67.7%) ranked first and second, respectively, while Daejeon (59.9%), Ulsan (58.8%), Chungnam (58.6%), Sejong (57.8%), Gyeongnam (57.0%), and Busan (56.6%) all exceeded the national average of 55.8%.

In contrast, the capital region, including Gyeonggi (50.3%), Seoul (51.6%), and Incheon (54.5%), all fell below the national average. Interestingly, the employment rate for schools in rural areas, including towns and villages, was 56.4%, higher than that of large cities (56.3%) and small cities (55.0%).

However, when examining the actual locations of employment, the results are reversed. A total of 55.1% (8,815 individuals) of vocational high school graduates found jobs in companies located in the capital region, while only 44.9% (7,192 individuals) were employed in non-capital region companies. The proportion of graduates who secured jobs within their home province was 51.5% (8,238 individuals), while nearly half, 48.5% (7,769 individuals), moved to other provinces for work.

Notably, in regions with high employment rates, the outflow of graduates to other areas is significant. In Gyeongbuk, which recorded the second-highest employment rate (67.7%), only 32.8% (579 individuals) of graduates found jobs within the province, while 67.2% (1,187 individuals) moved outside. Among Gyeongbuk graduates, 41.2% (728 individuals) relocated to companies in the capital region.

Additionally, provinces such as Jeonnam (64.4% outflow), Gangwon (58.2%), Jeonbuk (57.2%), Daegu (56.2%), Daejeon (53.8%), and Ulsan (53.5%) reported that over half of their graduates left their hometowns to start their careers, indicating a structural limitation where vocational high schools produce skilled workers but lack quality job opportunities in their regions.

Post-employment support to help graduates settle into their jobs remains a challenge. The retention rate for last year’s graduates dropped from 82.2% six months after employment (first measure) to 68.9% one year later (second measure), a decline of 13.3 percentage points. Although this represents a slight improvement from the previous year (68.2%), it still means that more than three out of ten graduates do not stay in their jobs for a full year. The retention rate for 2024 graduates 18 months later (third measure) was 62.2%, indicating that approximately 38% leave their jobs after one and a half years.

Retention rates vary significantly by industry. Among last year’s graduates, the one-year retention rates by industry type showed that sectors with higher job security and benefits, such as public administration, defense, and social security (90.5%), mining (88.9%), finance and insurance (84.5%), and electricity, gas, and steam supply (78.0%), had retention rates between 70% and 90%. In contrast, industries where vocational high school graduates are commonly employed, such as accommodation and food services (49.1%), wholesale and retail (48.3%), construction (46.9%), and facility management and rental services (45.2%), saw more than half of employees leaving within a year.

Choi Eun-ok, Deputy Minister of Education, stated, “The rebound in employment rates for vocational high school graduates, who are key personnel for balanced regional development, is a significant achievement amid the youth employment crisis. It is encouraging that the proportion of graduates employed in companies with over 300 employees has increased for five consecutive years, indicating an improvement in job quality. We will expand the 'contract-based specialized high schools' that partner Meister schools with local governments and businesses, and actively support the growth of vocational high school graduates in collaboration with relevant ministries and local education offices.”

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