Rising Trend of Rehiring: Former Employees Return Amid Tough Job Market
A woman in her late 20s, identified as Ms. Kim, worked for a company as a full-time employee for four and a half years before resigning. Three years later, she returned to the same company under a short-term contract for four months. "As my job search extended, financial issues arose, and I decided to return to my former job to fill the employment gap," she explained, adding that the challenging job market was the main reason for her decision to rejoin. Ms. Kim noted that the company wanted to hire back someone familiar with the work, so they reached out to her directly, removing the need for a formal hiring process.
The trend of returning to a previous employer is on the rise. In the past five years, over 100,000 individuals have rejoined their former workplaces. As the job market cools, companies are looking to minimize risks, while job seekers are considering reemployment as a viable option.
According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, obtained on the 20th, the number of people who returned to their previous jobs within five years after leaving increased from 884,768 in 2021 to 984,402 in 2025, marking a rise of 103,634, or 11.7%.
This trend of re-employment is also observed in international markets. In the global labor market, individuals who return to previous employers are referred to as boomerang employees. A report from the global HR tech company ADP revealed that in 2024, the proportion of boomerang employees among new hires in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 35%. Notably, in the IT sector, 68% of new hires were boomerang employees. For instance, Google hired 20% of its AI engineers last year from previous employees who returned.
HR professionals attribute the increase in rehired employees to the stagnation in the job market. The difficulties faced by job seekers, like Ms. Kim, are reflected in the data, confirming a broader trend of returning to familiar workplaces.
The trend of returning to a previous employer is on the rise. In the past five years, over 100,000 individuals have rejoined their former workplaces. As the job market cools, companies are looking to minimize risks, while job seekers are considering reemployment as a viable option.
According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, obtained on the 20th, the number of people who returned to their previous jobs within five years after leaving increased from 884,768 in 2021 to 984,402 in 2025, marking a rise of 103,634, or 11.7%.
This trend of re-employment is also observed in international markets. In the global labor market, individuals who return to previous employers are referred to as boomerang employees. A report from the global HR tech company ADP revealed that in 2024, the proportion of boomerang employees among new hires in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 35%. Notably, in the IT sector, 68% of new hires were boomerang employees. For instance, Google hired 20% of its AI engineers last year from previous employees who returned.
HR professionals attribute the increase in rehired employees to the stagnation in the job market. The difficulties faced by job seekers, like Ms. Kim, are reflected in the data, confirming a broader trend of returning to familiar workplaces.
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