More and more young Koreans stuck in the “kangaroo tribe”

Posted on : 2015-08-14 14:51 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
With stable jobs scarce, many young people receiving help with housing or expenses from their parents’

Half of young university graduates are members of the “kangaroo tribe,” receiving economic support from their parents, a study found.

According to “Current Status and Challenges for the Kangaroo Tribe,” published by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), 51.1% of people surveyed were receiving financial or residential assistance from their parents. The study analyzed data from a survey of career mobility routes (from Sep. 2012) of 17,376 university graduates carried out in Aug. 2010 and Feb. 2011.

35.2% of respondents were living with their parents without receiving an allowance, while 10.5% were both living with their parents and receiving an allowance, the study found. This indicates that many members of the kangaroo tribe depend on their parents for their housing.

The employment rate was lower and the quality of jobs was worse for members of the kangaroo tribe than for those who are not part of the tribe. 47.6% of the kangaroo tribe had permanent jobs, 34.6% were unemployed, and 14.7% had temporary jobs. In contrast, 79.4% of people not in the tribe had permanent jobs, 10.3% had temporary jobs, and 7.6% were unemployed.

In essence, the job crunch for young people and the lack of good jobs are responsible for the kangaroo tribe.

In addition, children of high-income earning parents were more likely to be members of the kangaroo tribe. The kangaroo rate was highest – 82.6% - when the parents’ wages were high and their children’s wages were low. In contrast, the kangaroo rate was lowest – 11.7% - when parents’ wages were low and their children’s wages were high.

This suggests that the kangaroo tribe is interfering with parents’ preparations for their old age and ultimately risks becoming an economic burden both for parents and for children.

“A large number of adults are financially dependent upon their parents, and that number is rapidly increasing. This suggests that the phenomenon of the kangaroo tribe is becoming entrenched in society,” said Oh Ho-yeong, senior analyst at KRIVET.

By Kim Min-kyung, staff reporter

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