The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) found a 29.7% poverty rate for one-person households headed by people ages 15 to 29, versus 9.8% for multi-person homes with a young member, The Korea Herald reported.
The Herald said KERI based its analysis on responses from 13,699 people in the 2024 Korean Labor and Income Panel Study; 18.6% were ages 15 to 29. The poverty figures compare household categories: the one-person group was classified by the age of its head, while the multi-person group needed only one member in that age range.
Employment was 89.7% among people ages 15 to 29 living alone and 52.5% among young people in multi-person homes, a 37.2-percentage-point difference. A comparison that also accounted for location, vocational preparation, education and age left a 5.4-point employment gap.
KERI linked the poverty difference partly to low earnings early in working lives. It said income from multiple earners can be combined in larger households, while young people living independently must cover their own expenses. The institute also suggested the relationship can work in both directions: a paycheck may help someone move out, while family resources and shared costs may ease the immediate pressure to find work.
The institute's policy proposals addressed both groups. It recommended encouraging young adults living with parents to seek work, and suggested housing vouchers, living-cost subsidies tied to employment and wider access to the Earned Income Tax Credit for those living independently. The Korea Herald reported that KERI warned poverty-focused programs could miss young people at home who need help entering the labor market.
KERI also referred to earlier research suggesting that delays in finding work or a weak economy around graduation can affect young adults well beyond that transition.
