It was found that both the proportion and size of non-regular workers among all wage workers decreased slightly. The proportion of workers working irregularly by voluntary choice also slightly increased compared to the previous year. Working conditions, as shown by average length of service and social insurance subscription rate, have also improved overall.
According to the ‘Supplementary Survey Results by Work Type’ announced by Statistics Korea on the 24th, the number of non-regular workers was 8,122,000, a decrease of 34,000 compared to the same month last year. The proportion of non-regular workers among wage workers also decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 37.0%. An official from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance explained, “The size of non-regular workers peaked at 38.4% in 2021 and is continuously decreasing. In particular, this is the first time that both size and proportion have decreased.” The number of regular workers was 13,832,000, an increase of 264,000 compared to the same month last year.
Working conditions for non-regular workers have also improved overall. Compared to the same month last year, the proportion of workers who decided on their work type based on ‘voluntary choice’ and worked as irregular workers rose 2.8 percentage points to 65.6%. In particular, the proportion of respondents who were ‘satisfied with working conditions’ was the highest at 59.9%. This is a 0.2 percentage point increase compared to the same period last year. The government explains that it views the proportion of voluntary selection as one of the numbers that indicates the quality of non-regular jobs.
It was found that the length of service, wages, and conditions of non-regular workers have improved compared to last year. The average length of service at one job increased by 2 months to 2 years and 8 months (32 months), and the average monthly wage for the past 3 months (June to August ) increased by 76,000 won to 1,957,000 won. Excluding part-time workers, it increased by 151,000 won to 2,761,000 won. The average weekly employment period was 28.7 hours, decreasing by 0.9 hours.
By work type, temporary workers were 5.259 million, part-time workers were 3.873 million, and atypical workers were 1.957 million. Compared to the same month last year, temporary workers decreased by 89,000 and atypical workers decreased by 174,000, while part-time workers increased by 186,000. More than 90% of the increase in part-time workers was driven by the increase in women’s part-time jobs due to the increase in demand for care and the expansion of women’s participation in economic activities.
The average monthly wage of all wage earners was 3,007,000 won, exceeding 3 million won for the first time since related statistics were compiled. However, the average monthly wage gap between regular and non-regular workers was the highest ever. The average monthly wage for the past three months for굿모닝토토 regular workers was 3,623,000 won, and for non-regular workers, it was 1,957,000 won, showing a gap of 1,666,000 won. However, the government explains that because statistics on non-regular workers uniformly include part-time jobs paid by the hourly wage, the wage gap between non-regular workers and regular workers, excluding part-time workers, must be looked at. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance showed that the wage gap between non-regular workers and regular workers (wage ratio excluding part-time workers) is continuously decreasing to 72.9% in 2021, 75% in 2022, and 76.2% in 2023.
The largest age group among non-regular workers was found to be in their 60s. There were 2,619,000 workers over the age of 60, followed by 1,627,000 people in their 50s and 1,423,000 people in their 20s. The number of workers aged 60 or older increased by 66,000 compared to the same month last year. On the other hand, people in their 50s decreased by 98,000 and people in their 40s decreased by 13,000. By gender, the number of men was 3,557,000 (43.8%), a decrease of 96,000 from the same month last year, and the number of women was 4,565,000 (56.2%), an increase of 62,000.