The JobLink, jobhunt website on Tuesday said it surveyed 2,538 jobseekers, and 23.4 percent of respondents said they would turn down a marriage proposal if the other party was unemployed, while 40.8 percent answered that they would persuade the other person to get a job first.

A romantic minority of 18.9 percent said they would support their partner and 14.6 percent said they would ask help from the parents.

But a heartless 64.1 percent of respondents said they would consider breaking with a partner who is out of a job for over a year.

Indeed, 37.8 percent (42.9 percent of men and 33.3 percent of women) had ditched or been ditched by a lover over unemployment. A heartbreaking 40.4 percent of them had ended it because of low self-esteem when they lost their jobs.

When looking for a job, 18.5 percent said they took their partner's advice as gospel, 30.5 percent said they took it on board, and 21. 6 percent answered that they did sometimes, suggesting that recruitment policy needs to look beyond a candidate to his or her nearest and dearest.

In all 69.5 percent wanted a double-income family after marriage. Respondents put the average time needed to save enough money for a stable marriage at 3.2 years.

(englishnews@chosun.com )