Young Jobseekers Skip Summer Vacation

Airports are packed with travelers as the peak holiday season approaches, but taking a vacation is a luxury for young jobseekers, with two out of five having no vacation plans, a straw poll suggests.

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In the poll of 566 jobseekers by job portal Saramin, 43 percent said they do not plan to go on holiday this summer.

Asked why, more than half said they would feel too anxious. About half also said they cannot afford it, while other reasons were that they are busy preparing for their job interviews (43 percent) and concern for their family (17 percent). Ten percent said they simply have no friends to go with.

Instead, they will study a foreign language, prepare for professional exams or do an internship. Respondents were able to give multiple answers.

But many are sorry. Some 72 percent of those who have no vacation plans said they would go on holiday if they had a job, and 78 percent said they feel left out when they see their friends go on vacation.

Those who do have vacation plans said they will keep them short, with an average of four days and a majority going away for just one or two days.

Nearly half of them said they will spend only W200,000 to W600,000 on holidays (US$1=W1,152).

Most will use their savings or earnings from part-time work, and almost one-third said they will have to ask their parents for money.