Average Monthly Income 3,557,000 KRW
26.7% of Delivery Workers Earn Over 5 Million KRW
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As the demand for food delivery and parcel delivery surged due to the spread of COVID-19, the number of delivery workers reached an all-time high.
According to the "2021 Second Half Regional Employment Survey - Characteristics of Employed Persons by Industry and Occupation" report released by Statistics Korea on the 19th, the number of delivery workers in October last year was 428,000, an increase of 9.7% compared to a year earlier. This is the highest number since related statistics began in 2013.
The number of delivery workers was 349,000 as of October 2019, which was an 11.8% sharp increase compared to 2020 (390,000).
This is because social distancing restrictions limited outdoor activities, leading to more active food delivery orders and online shopping. Additionally, many people are entering the delivery industry because the entry barrier is relatively low compared to other jobs, and the average income is not insignificant.
The average monthly income of delivery workers, as announced by the Korea Labor and Society Institute, is 3,557,000 KRW. This is relatively higher than the average monthly salary of office workers, which was around 3,310,000 KRW last year.
In fact, according to Barogo's "2021 Barogo Delivery Trend Report," many delivery workers earn incomes comparable to those in large corporations. Among delivery workers earning more than 3 million KRW per month, 26.7% earn over 5 million KRW. Considering that the average monthly salary of large corporations is 5.29 million KRW, this is a significant amount.
While the delivery industry shows a rising salary trend due to COVID-19, one out of every ten average workers still earns less than 1 million KRW per month.
Looking at the proportion of wage workers by wage level among all employed persons in the second half of last year: △ less than 1 million KRW 10.0% △ 1 million to less than 2 million KRW 18.6% △ 2 million to less than 3 million KRW 34.1% △ 3 million to less than 4 million KRW 18.1% △ 4 million KRW or more 19.2%.
The proportions in the less than 1 million KRW and 1 million to less than 2 million KRW brackets decreased by 0.6 percentage points and 3.3 percentage points respectively compared to the previous year. On the other hand, the wage proportions in the other brackets all increased. Among them, the increase in wage workers earning 2 million to less than 3 million KRW (1.7 percentage points) was the largest. The 4 million KRW or more bracket also increased by 1.3 percentage points.
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