Part-time Workers and Bosses Both "Dissatisfied with Minimum Wage of 9,860 Won"

Reasons for Dissatisfaction Are Completely Opposite
Part-timer: "It Should Have Exceeded 10,000 Won"
Boss: "It Should Have Been Frozen or Reduced"

A survey revealed that neither part-time workers nor employers are satisfied with the 2024 minimum wage being set at 9,860 won per hour. However, the reasons for their dissatisfaction were found to be contrasting.

2024 Minimum Wage Satisfaction [Photo by Alba Heaven]

On the 24th, Alba Heaven, a job portal specializing in part-time job recruitment, announced the results of a survey on opinions regarding the 2024 minimum hourly wage. The survey was conducted from the 19th to the 20th, targeting 1,371 part-time workers and 115 employers.

According to the survey results, 52.6% of part-time workers and 74.8% of employers responded that they were not satisfied with the minimum hourly wage being set at 9,860 won for next year.

The biggest reason for dissatisfaction among part-time workers was "because it did not exceed 10,000 won minimum wage" (61.7%, multiple responses allowed), followed by "because the raise was less than the hoped-for rate or amount" (45.9%). This result is analyzed to have occurred because the minimum wage increase rate did not even keep up with the inflation rate.

On the other hand, employers expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the minimum wage was raised at all. The response "I hoped for a freeze or reduction, but it was raised" accounted for 77.9% (multiple responses allowed), and "It was raised by a higher amount than expected" was also 23.3%.

Meanwhile, with the increase in the minimum wage, changes in the part-time work environment are also expected. According to the survey, 4 out of 5 employers (78.4%) responded that there would be an impact on employment and management conditions.

Specifically, employers anticipated changes such as "a decrease in the number of part-time hires and the number of employees" (60.4%, multiple responses allowed) and "an increase in split-shift part-time hiring" (51.6%). It is understood that, in preparation for a decrease in operating profits due to increased labor costs, employers intend to hire part-time workers for the shortest possible hours.

When 956 part-time job seekers were asked about expected changes in the job-seeking environment due to the minimum wage increase, the most common responses were "an increase in split-shift part-time jobs" (32.3%) and "a decrease in part-time job openings" (23.8%).