[Exclusive] 370,000 Won... Average Monthly Salary of Disabled Workers Excluded from Minimum Wage

Less than a Quarter of General Workplaces
Need to Establish a Minimum Threshold Considering Capability

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The wage gap between workers whose wages have increased due to the rise in the minimum wage and disabled workers whose wages have not increased is widening significantly. The current Minimum Wage Act allows exceptions to the application of the minimum wage for people with significantly reduced working capacity, such as disabled individuals. There are calls for improvements to the minimum wage system for disabled workers.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to Lee Jong-seong, a member of the People Power Party, on the occasion of Disabled Persons Day on the 20th, the average monthly wage at workplaces exempt from minimum wage application was only 20.7% compared to general workplaces in 2020. In 2018, it was 24.5%, and in 2019, 21.8%, showing a widening wage gap each year. In terms of amount, based on the 2020 minimum wage of 8,590 won, workers at general workplaces earned an average of 1,795,310 won per month, while workers at exempt workplaces earned 371,790 won.

While the minimum wage rises every year, disabled individuals and others do not benefit from this increase, resulting in this phenomenon. According to Article 7 of the Minimum Wage Act, people with significantly reduced working capacity due to mental or physical disabilities may be exempt from minimum wage application. The number of people authorized for minimum wage exemption steadily increased from 7,891 in 2016 to 8,632 in 2017 and 9,413 in 2018. Although it temporarily dropped to 9,000 in 2019, it rebounded to 9,060 in 2020. The authorization rate for exempt workplaces also increased, from 92.3% in 2018 to 96.4% in 2019 and 97.4% in 2020.

Accordingly, there is a demand for establishing a lower limit standard that reflects the working capacity of disabled persons. Representative Lee said, "It is urgent to prepare government-level measures such as expanding job opportunities and supplementing the minimum wage so that disabled people can become self-reliant members of society."