History and scholarship
The Marienthal study (Jahoda, Lazarsfeld & Zeisel, 1933) began research on unemployment's psychological effects; Jahoda (1982) described work's latent functions; Paul and Moser (2009) meta-analysed mental-health harm; Ellwood (1982) asked about youth 'scars'. Field experiments by Kroft et al. (2013, QJE) and Eriksson and Rooth (2014, AER) found long gaps can reduce callbacks.
Key points
Interviewers usually ask what you did and learned; brief factual explanations are generally advised. Laws, programmes, visa rules and hiring practice change; check official notices, current law and actual postings.
In practice
Use employment support or training cards; a working holiday can be framed as experience.
FAQ
- Is a one-year gap bad?
- Explanation matters, though longer gaps can hurt.
- Can I hide it?
- Avoid false statements.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Jahoda, M., Lazarsfeld, P. F., & Zeisel, H. (1933). Die Arbeitslosen von Marienthal. Hirzel.
- Jahoda, M. (1982). Employment and Unemployment: A Social-Psychological Analysis. Cambridge University Press.
- Ellwood, D. T. (1982). Teenage unemployment: Permanent scars or temporary blemishes? In R. B. Freeman & D. A. Wise (Eds.), The Youth Labor Market Problem. University of Chicago Press.
- Paul, K. I., & Moser, K. (2009). Unemployment impairs mental health: Meta-analyses. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74(3), 264–282.
- Kroft, K., Lange, F., & Notowidigdo, M. J. (2013). Duration dependence and labor market conditions: Evidence from a field experiment. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128(3), 1123–1167.
- Eriksson, S., & Rooth, D.-O. (2014). Do employers use unemployment as a sorting criterion when hiring? Evidence from a field experiment. American Economic Review, 104(3), 1014–1039.
- 고용24(고용노동부). https://www.work24.go.kr
- 국가법령정보센터. https://www.law.go.kr