🚨 Short-term Job Turnover: MZ Generation's New Work Culture and Labor Market Changes

Today Korean Social News | 2025.06.01

📌 Japanese New Employees Choose Quick Job Changes, Focusing on 'Time Performance'

💬 In Japan, new employees are increasingly quitting their jobs within one year of starting work. This trend is called "short-term job turnover." Young workers focus on "time performance" culture, which means getting the best results for the time they spend. When they think their work environment doesn't fit them, they quickly choose to change jobs. This has led to more demand for job resignation services. Companies are now avoiding hiring people who worked less than one year at their previous jobs. Similar trends are appearing in Korea, creating new challenges for both companies and job seekers.

Summary

• Short-term job turnover means quitting within one year of starting a job. This trend is growing among MZ generation workers.
• The main reasons are "time performance" culture and changing values about work-life balance.
• This creates both problems and opportunities for companies and workers.

1️⃣ Definition

Short-term job turnover means quitting a job within one year, especially within 3-6 months of starting. In the past, people usually worked for at least 1-2 years at one job. But now, MZ generation workers quickly leave jobs that don't fit them and look for new opportunities.

This is not just a "quick decision." It shows a new way of thinking about work that puts personal growth and happiness first.

💡 Why is this important?

• People want to use their time and energy efficiently (time performance culture)
• Changing values that focus on work-life balance
• The idea of "lifetime employment" is becoming less common
• People now focus more on personal growth in their careers
• Companies face new challenges in finding and keeping good workers

2️⃣ Reasons for Short-term Job Turnover

📕 Changing Values of MZ Generation

• People now put personal growth and happiness first. Main changes include:

  • The idea of "lifetime employment" is becoming weaker. People look for companies that "fit them" rather than just "good companies."
  • Workers want to grow personally and find meaning in their work. They quickly leave jobs that don't offer this.
  • Work-life balance is very important. They won't accept too much work or bad company culture.
  • Personal choices matter more than social pressure. They follow their own decisions even if others disagree.

• "Time performance" culture has a big influence. Key features include:

  • People focus on time efficiency. They don't want to stay in inefficient jobs or organizations.
  • If they think there's little chance for growth, they see it as wasting time and quickly change their environment.
  • They want to learn and grow fast, so they actively look for better opportunities.
  • Short-term results and satisfaction matter more than long-term stability.

📕 Workplace Environment and Company Culture Problems

• There's a big gap between traditional company culture and young workers. Main problems include:

  • Top-down and authoritarian company culture conflicts with young people who value freedom and creativity.
  • Formal tasks, unnecessary meetings, and overtime culture stress workers who want efficiency.
  • Promotion systems based on seniority and relationships rather than performance disappoint workers who believe in merit-based advancement.
  • Poor communication and lack of feedback make young employees feel left out.

• Mismatched work conditions and benefits also cause problems. Main factors include:

  • Big differences between what companies promise during hiring and actual work conditions disappoint workers.
  • When salary or benefits don't meet expectations, people look for other opportunities.
  • When rewards don't match the workload, people question if their investment is worth it.
  • Limited growth opportunities or training support makes people feel restricted in self-development.

Main Reasons for Short-term Job Turnover

1. Poor company culture fit: Top-down culture, inefficient work processes, poor communication
2. Gap between expectations and reality: Lack of accurate information or exaggerated promises during hiring
3. Limited growth opportunities: Repetitive tasks, no training, limited promotion chances
4. Work-life balance problems: Too much overtime, limited vacation use, no personal time
5. Poor compensation: Low salary, unfair evaluation, poor benefits

3️⃣ Effects of Short-term Job Turnover and Solutions

✅ Effects on Companies

• Hiring and managing people becomes much harder. Main effects include:

  • Hiring costs increase because companies need to recruit for the same position repeatedly.
  • Money and time spent training new employees is lost when they quit quickly.
  • Team work continuity suffers, and existing employees have to work more.
  • Uncertainty spreads in the organization, making other employees more likely to quit.

• Companies are developing different strategies to respond. Main solutions include:

  • Providing more accurate and honest information during hiring to reduce mismatches.
  • Strengthening onboarding programs to help new employees adapt and feel they belong.
  • Creating mentoring systems or buddy programs to support stable settlement of new employees.
  • Introducing flexible work systems and remote work to improve work-life balance.

✅ Effects on Job Seekers and Society

• Personal career management faces new challenges. Main effects include:

  • Frequent job changes can leave gaps or short work periods on resumes.
  • More companies are avoiding hiring people who worked less than one year at previous jobs.
  • There's a risk of not having enough time to build professional skills.
  • It becomes harder to build trust with colleagues and supervisors, limiting teamwork skill development.

• The job market and society overall experience changes. Main changes include:

  • Companies compete more to provide better work environments and conditions.
  • Transparency and accuracy of information becomes more important in the job market.
  • New business models like job resignation services emerge.
  • Traditional employment relationships and company culture are being reconsidered.
  • Individual autonomy and choice are expanding.

4️⃣ Related Terms

🔎 Time Performance (Taipa)

• Time performance means focusing on efficiency compared to time spent.
• Time performance is short for "Time Performance." It's a culture that values the results or satisfaction you get compared to the time you invest. This concept comes from "cost performance" (value for money) and is spreading especially among MZ generation.
• Main features of time performance culture include: First, people try to get more results or experiences even when investing the same amount of time. Second, they avoid activities they think are inefficient or meaningless. Third, they prefer quick results and immediate feedback. Fourth, they see time as the most precious resource and try to save it.
• In the workplace, time performance appears as rejecting unnecessary meetings, formal tasks, and overtime culture. People also tend to quickly leave jobs or environments they think don't help their growth. This is one of the main backgrounds of short-term job turnover.

🔎 Onboarding

• Onboarding is a systematic program that helps new employees adapt to the organization.
• Onboarding means a series of processes that help newly hired employees quickly become familiar with the company culture, work, and colleagues. It goes beyond simple orientation to provide comprehensive support for new employees' successful settlement and performance.
• Main components of onboarding include: First, education about company culture and values. Second, transferring basic job knowledge and skills. Third, providing one-on-one support through mentors or buddies. Fourth, running regular feedback and check-in sessions. Fifth, providing networking opportunities for building social relationships.
• Effective onboarding helps prevent early resignation of new employees, speeds up work adaptation, and improves organizational commitment. As short-term job turnover increases, onboarding becomes more important, and many companies are strengthening their onboarding programs.

🔎 Work-Life Balance

• Work-life balance means seeking balance between work and personal life.
• Work-life balance is short for "Work-Life Balance." It means balancing work and personal life to improve quality of life. It represents a lifestyle that pursues personal happiness and satisfaction, moving away from work-centered living.
• Main aspects of work-life balance include: First, maintaining appropriate work hours to secure personal time. Second, actively using vacation and rest time for recharging. Third, valuing personal activities like hobbies, exercise, and family time. Fourth, managing work stress so it doesn't excessively affect personal life.
• Recently, as MZ generation shows more interest in work-life balance, they tend to quickly leave workplaces that don't guarantee this. This is one of the main causes of short-term job turnover, and companies are introducing flexible work systems, remote work, and vacation encouragement to improve work-life balance.

5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Won't short-term job turnover hurt my career?

A: The effect of short-term job turnover on careers varies by situation, but there are several things to consider. Negative effects include some companies might see it as "lack of persistence" or "poor adaptability," and frequent job changes might limit professional development. Also, people might question your teamwork or organizational adaptation skills. But there are positive aspects too. It can be seen as being proactive in quickly judging and improving environments that don't fit you, and it can show learning ability and adaptability through various experiences. The important thing is being able to clearly and reasonably explain your reasons for changing jobs. You should show that it was a choice for personal growth and goal achievement rather than simple complaints, and demonstrate your willingness and plan to work longer at the next job. Also, you need sufficient research and careful choices to prevent repeated short-term job changes.

Q: How can companies prevent short-term job turnover?

A: Companies need a multi-faceted approach to prevent short-term job turnover. First, improvements in the hiring stage are important. Job descriptions should be accurate and specific, and the actual work environment and conditions should be honestly shared during interviews. It's also good to provide opportunities to experience the actual work environment in advance through meetings with current employees or office tours. Second, systematic onboarding programs should be operated. Companies should assign mentors to new employees, check adaptation through regular feedback sessions, and provide necessary support immediately. Third, company culture needs improvement. Companies should create horizontal communication culture, improve unnecessary tasks or inefficient processes, and build performance-based evaluation systems. Fourth, work-life balance and benefits should be improved. It's important to introduce flexible work systems or remote work and provide appropriate compensation systems and growth opportunities. Finally, continuous communication and feedback are needed to understand and improve employee satisfaction and needs.