'Finding Worker Wage Exploitation'... Gyeonggi-do Conducts Investigation on Brokerage Offices' Conditions

Until September, Targeting Employment Agencies and Dispatch Service Companies

File photo [Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gyeonggi Province is launching an investigation into the wage exploitation of workers employed by job placement agencies and dispatch/service companies.

On the 14th, the province stated, "In the case of dispatched and service workers, employment and wage payments are made through intermediary agencies such as placement and brokerage firms, raising concerns about whether appropriate wages are paid relative to the original contractor's order amount."

According to the 2018 labor status survey by the Ministry of Labor, the average monthly wage of dispatched and service workers was 2,128,000 KRW, which is only 59.7% of the 3,562,000 KRW earned by regular employees.

This investigation will be conducted from this month until September, targeting 1,700 dispatched and service workers within the province and 300 job placement agencies and dispatch/service companies.

The province plans to conduct in-depth interviews and surveys on wages, working conditions, employment processes, fees, and discrimination grievances, aiming to identify issues such as the current status of workers and the structure of intermediary exploitation fees.

Simultaneously, based on the investigation results, the province will devise phased policies, implement improvement measures starting from the public sector, and expand these measures to the private sector.