Rhee Sol-bi, a 24-year-old job seeker based in Seoul, sometimes thinks that she should have studied engineering at university as she struggles to find a job amid tough competition.

“I think it is tougher for me to get a job because I studied humanities at school,” said Rhee, who studied Russian language and international business at a Seoul-based university. “I cannot even get past the resume-screening process,” she said, adding that her application to nearly 30 companies this year ended in vain.

Rhee is one of the majority of fresh Korean graduates who think that those who hold a degree in science and engineering have a competitive edge in landing a job.

According to the poll conducted on 527 job seekers by recruitment site Job Korea, 88.2 percent of job seekers with a degree in humanities said they felt envious of those who studied science and engineering at university.

The main reason for the envy was “better job prospects” for science graduates, with 71 percent of the surveyed saying it appeared relatively easier for degree holders in science and engineering to gain employment.

Nearly half of the respondents also thought science students appeared more professional.

Eight in 10 respondents said they would major in science and engineering if they could travel back in time, reflecting the difficulties facing fresh graduates with humanities degrees.

Another survey by the job searching site on 265 office workers found that 80.4 percent of the respondents felt jealous of colleagues who hold a degree in science and engineering as it seems easier for them to find a new job.

By Ock Hyun-ju  (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)